


Drama for Life

by VioletAmet



Series: Capricious [2]
Category: Shadowrun: Hong Kong
Genre: Drugs, Language, Multi, Spoilers, Torture, Violence, but i will write about darker subjects over time, ive started with something short and sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-02 09:58:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 24,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15794190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletAmet/pseuds/VioletAmet
Summary: A collection of stories of Capricious and crew and more.As a heads up, some parts may be inconsistent, and things that happened during some chapters may also be inconsistent with the story "Capricious". But, I am going to do my best as I write this out. It's only really meant to be written for fun anyway, as I try to explore the different characters, and various relationships, and what could happen between them. Some parts may also take place before or after "Capricious" as well, but I am also trying to keep this collection separate from it. Anyway, take it easy folks.





	1. Siblings

In the middle of their stroll, Capricious spotted a pair of kids, huddingly in the corner of an alleyway. She grabbed Duncan by his arm to stop and point at them. He narrowed his eyes at the sight of them, but stuck behind her as they approached the children.  
  
The children held onto each other tightly, with one being taller than the other. The tall one stood before the other, trying to stand straight, with their shoulders stiff, as if they were challenging the foster siblings themselves. Capricious could only chuckle as she stood just a bit taller than them, and had a bit more muscle in comparison.   
  
But Duncan towered all of them as he stood behind Capricious.   
  
Capricious then burst out into laughter, as she turned to Duncan. “Hey, go grab these kids some food,” she said before tossing him her nuyen.   
  
“Sure,” he said without a second thought, and turned on his heel to walk away.   
  
Capricious turned back to the kids, as they both glanced at each other in confusion. “Do you have any caretakers? Parents? Guardians?”   
  
The kids stared at her for a moment, unsure if they should respond to her. Or maybe she should practice her terrible Cantonese so she could be understood better.   
  
To her surprise, one of them replied quietly, “We… don’t…”   
  
Capricious stared at them in silence. “I see.” She kicked the dirt underneath her shoe as she remember her childhood. “Are you two related?”   
  
They both nodded slowly.   
  
“Well, even if you aren’t, you should stick by each other. It’s not easy I know, but when things get tough, fight through it. You may get into trouble, or you may get lucky, but I think you both can find something if you try hard enough.”   
  
The taller kid frowned. “You don’t have any right to say that… you are not like us…”   
  
Capricious simply smiled. “Sure, I am not like you, but trust me… or don’t, it’s up to you two.”  She then paused. “I think there is some sort of shelter for kids around here. You two should go there.”   
  
The taller one growled at Capricious, but she only acted surprise.   
  
“You got spirit, kid. Seriously though, go to that shelter.”

  
  
In the middle of a one sided conversation with the kids, Capricious stopped and sniffed the air a few times, before turning to Duncan as he returned with a bag of boxed food. Capricious may as well be anything but human, considering how strange it was that she could smell the food like a dog. She then let him pass the bag to the kids.   
  
They seemed rather surprised to be given food, and really dug into them as soon as they opened the boxes. Capricious could only give a small smile as she tried to do some good for these pair of kids, but what happens to them depends on how life plays out.   
  
Or maybe they would surprise her, and they would wind up being successful adults.   
  
She can’t predict the future anyway.   
  
“Let’s go, bro,” she said as she pat Duncan’s arm to leave.   
  
He gave her back whatever cash she had left, which she stuffed in her pockets. “Feeling nostalgic, Cap?” he asked.   
  
“Sort of… but, let’s not think of the past! Let’s think of what we should eat! I am hungry, bro, and you’re paying!”   
  
Duncan did a double take, before Capricious burst out into laughter. He couldn’t tell if she was joking or not, most likely not, but he found himself chuckling as well. He then gave her a pat on the head. “You should brush your hair… it’s like a bird’s nest.”   
  
“If I feel like it,” she replied with a grin.   
  
That clearly means no, but Duncan shrugged it off. “What made you bleach your hair anyway? Was it because of Raymond’s rules?”   
  
Capricious paused as she remembered her time in prison. “I just wanted to… Having dark brown hair felt boring to me.”   
  
“Right. Well, it makes you look like an old woman.”   
  
“What?!” she snapped, “Hey!”   
  
Duncan roared out in laughter.   
  
“I am only twenty-four, Duncan!”   
  
“Sure you are, Cap. Now let’s go and get something to eat.”


	2. Sage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Capricious meets Crafty for the first time.

Capricious stood before the Parlor of Five Phases, which should belong to the woman that Gobbet messaged her about. Crafty Xu was it? Well, she caught her interest enough, even though Capricious barely has an understanding of magic as it is.   
  
As soon as she opened the door to enter the parlor, the familiar scent of sage hit her nostrils like a truck.   
  


  
_ Memories of the shaman that took care of her in prison was a kind woman. She spoke to her gently, as she burned sage in the containment room that Capricious was forced into, after a physical attack against a doctor. She wanted to continue treatment, as long as it wasn’t under that doctor's supervision. _

  
  
“Um, excuse me… miss?” a woman spoke up, bringing Capricious back to the present. “Are you okay? You don’t look so well.”   
  
Capricious tried to speak up, only to stumble over her own words, then stopped. She cleared her throat, as she tried to not focus on the pounding headache the scent of sage gave her. “I am, sorry. I am… Capricious, and I came by to meet you.”   
  
The woman blinked before she started to giggle. “I am Crafty Xu,” she replied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Capricious.”   
  


  
After their talk, Capricious left the shop in a hurry. On her way back to the Dowager Empress, she saw Gobbet heading her way. “Oh, Seattle!” she called out. “I was planning on seeing Crafty…” She then sniffed the air around her. “And I guess you already met her yourself.”   
  
“Y-yeah…” Capricious replied.   
  
“So, what did you talk to her about?”   
  
Capricious paused.   
  
She couldn’t remember.   
  
She then clutched her head as she felt it pounding against her skull. “I… um… I don’t know.”   
  
Gobbet blinked. “You don’t know? What do you mean you don’t know?”   
  
Capricious stared at Gobbet with furrowed brows. “Um… if you are going to meet Crafty Xu, can you tell her I am sorry if I was acting weird? I don’t know what came over me, but I wasn’t feeling good.”   
  
Gobbet took a closer look at Capricious, noticing that she seemed rather shaken up by something. If it wasn’t for the heavy storm, chances are she could had been sweating. “Okay then,” Gobbet replied. “You should go rest, Seattle. I will go speak with Crafty.”   
  
“Thanks…” she replied, before hurrying her way back to the ship.   
  
  


“Hey, Crafty,” Gobbet called out as soon as she entered her shop.   
  
Crafty Xu looked up from her scrolls with a smile, and greeted her with a wave. “Hello, Gobbet. Do you need anything?”   
  
“Just the usual,” she replied. “Oh, and you met with Seattle, right?”   
  
Crafty blinked for a moment, before realizing that Seattle might had been Capricious. “You are talking about the white haired woman? We had met, but she just recently left. Were you looking for her?”   
  
Gobbet shook her head. “Nah, I bumped into her on the way here… by the way, did she seem all right to you?”   
  
Crafty paused as she thought about her conversation. “Everything seemed okay at first... We just spoke about various subjects of medicine and magic, as well as my collection of books. She seemed rather interested, but after a while, she started to feel a headache coming on, and had to go. Is she doing all right?”   
  
Gobbet dug her hands into her pockets as she shrugged. “She didn’t seem so good when I saw her, but I did tell her to go back to the boat and rest. Anyway, she wanted me to tell you she is sorry if she was acting weird. I guess she is worried that she didn’t make a good first impression.”   
  
Crafty giggled as she shook her head dismissively. “No, it was a pleasure to meet her. I hope to see her again, actually, when she feels better.”   
  
Gobbet chuckled as she bopped her head. “Good to hear. Right then… did I mention that I wanted the usual?”   
  
Crafty nodded with a smile before she turned to her inventory.


	3. The Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betrayal never fails to sting, does it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING - Major violence in this chapter.
> 
> Wanted to tackle on something of a what if.

She made her choice, when she decided to accept Qiu’s offer. She left everyone behind to return to Seattle with Duncan.  
  
Of course, with the siblings gone, the team disbanded due to their differences.  
  
While Gaichu disappeared from the world, both Gobbet and Isobel continued to run in the shadows, never to be heard from again.  
  
Not that it mattered to Racter. It was easy for him to be detached when he found himself uninterested in doing anything related with the group, so naturally, he and Koschei went their own way.

 

Within a year, he found himself in Seattle.

 

He had a purpose in mind.  
  
To hunt the person that betrayed him. This goal solidified itself into him, as soon as she turned her back on him.  
  
Despite her promises, she left.  
  
Despite how earnest she seemed, she left.  
  
And he didn’t like being manipulated like that, just so she could have someone to help do some dirty work. To use him and Koschei to her advantage.

  
After a bit of searching, he learned that she was helping Duncan with some sort of detective work, mostly staying behind the scenes. While he could look for the orc, his main focus was on the woman herself.  
  
With some persistence, and some torture, he eventually found her.  
  
Capricious was surprised to have seen Racter in Seattle, and without hesitation, Koschei rushed at her, making her run for her life. She was as nimble as ever, as she leaped over a fence, but she wasn’t lucky when she found herself trapped in a corner.  
  
Racter felt his blood rush with adrenaline as Koschei destroyed the fence and cornered Capricious.  
  
As they stared at each other in silence, Capricious must had realized that she wasn’t going to get out alive. No, Racter thought. It wasn’t like her to be pinned in a corner so easily.  
  
She knew what his plan was, from the moment they made eye contact. She wanted to be corner. Wanted it to be out of the way of public sight.  
  
Racter snarled, while Koschei’s engines roared like a beast.  
  
Capricious spread her arms apart, and gave the rigger a smile. “Do it,” she ordered.  
  
In that moment, Racter let Koschei loose onto the woman, tearing into her torso. The sound of her body being torn apart didn’t give Racter satisfaction. Instead, he only felt rage. Rage that she knew him so well that she gave herself to him without a second thought.  
  
He wasn’t sure if he should despise her, or admire her.  
  
When he stepped forward to take a closer look at Koschei’s limbs piercing into her over and over, he noticed that on Capricious' blood splattered face, was a smile. She even turned to him with a hint of happiness in her eyes that he could not understand.  
  
“It’s good to see you again,” she said, as if she wasn’t being dismembered alive. She even reached out to him, though it should had been impossible for her to move.  
  
Racter wasn’t sure what compelled him to move closer and kneel before her, to let her place a hand on his chest. She felt oddly warm.  
  
“I forgive you… my friend,” she continued.  
  
With one final stab into her heart, everything went dark.  
  
—  
  
Racter sat up in a jolt, and realized that he fell asleep in the middle of working on a blueprint.  
  
He took in a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, before rubbing the sleep away from his eyes.  
  
While Koschei was waking up from his slumber as well, Racter took a look around his workshop, and noticed that Capricious was near the stairs, humming quietly to some sort of song. As soon as she noticed he was awake, she gave him a smile, much like she did in his dream.  
  
Or was it a nightmare? He couldn’t tell.  
  
“Hey, Racter,” she said, as she got up from the floor. He stared at her obviously intact torso in silence before looking into her eyes. As always, there was that hint of happiness behind them whenever she came down to visit him. “Slept well?"


	4. Prey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaichu went to hunt down a metahuman.

Gaichu wandered through the darkness of Heoi’s alleyways, passing by the various drunks and drug addicts that find themselves here. None of them would had tasted good of him, for obvious reasons, so he had to look a little harder to find the right meal.  
  
Unfortunately, it’s never that easy to find one outside of a job. It’s not that Capricious has been lazy, in fact, she has been quite eager in taking almost any job, but some of the recent ones require some socializing, and bringing him along would only cause trouble.   
  
Though, it never stopped Capricious before.   
  
Still, she had to be careful, and he understood that.

  
  
Gaichu stopped in his tracks when he smell a familiar scent in the air. The smell of blood.   
  
He hurried to follow it, only to hear the sound of someone slumping onto the ground with a thud, and a satisfied sigh from a vampire that had taken her victim.   
  
“Ku Feng,” he spoke, with a hint of disdain in his tone.   
  
“Gaichu,” she replied. “Here to hunt down a sorry metahuman?”   
  
“I was… but, I assume you must had taken the only good one here.”   
  
Ku Feng frowned as she stared at the man on the ground. “I had to, if I want to survive.”   
  
Gaichu snarled, revealing his sharp teeth to her, which made her a bit nervous, but she wasn’t going to run. “You promised to help me,” she said, remembering the conversation that she had with the crew when they found out about her.   
  
“Capricious promised you, not I,” he corrected. “But, she did force me to teach you the ways of living as a ‘monster’.” Even if it was to benefit the team, or just her specifically, Gaichu did not agree that Ku Feng deserved to be spared. She was just a vampire accountant that served a human to hide herself from the world, instead of embracing herself as what she is. What she turned into.   
  
“So, what do you plan to do then?” she asked with a frown, stretching out her clawed fingers in case she had to fight.

Not that she would live, she thought.

Gaichu wrapped his own clawed hands around the hilt of his blade, while his shoulders straightened out. He took in a deep breath, then exhaled as he made up his mind.   
  
“Help me find a meal, and I will teach you what you should know,” he replied.


	5. Chrome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Capricious just wants to show something to Duncan that she thinks is cool.

“Hey, Duncan!” Capricious shouted, making the orc jump in his room, and turn to her in haste.  
  
“What? What is wrong?!” he asked.  
  
“I want to show you something cool!” she replied, as she extended out her arm. Surrounded by her wrist is a metal brace that seems to be linked to her cyber hand. "I asked Ambrose to make this happen!"  
  
Duncan thought something terrible had happened, instead, it was just Capricious being excited over something that she had decided to give a piece of herself for. While that did still worry him, he knew that she would be careful, and not plant cybernetics in place of every single part of her body. Or maybe that is her plan.  
  
But, then again, Capricious is not a total idiot, even though she is book smart. But, It doesn’t matter how many books she had read, or how much she knows about history, it is her choices in life outside those subjects that defines her. And Duncan believes that she won’t give herself up entirely to something without seriously considering about it.  
  
Even though it may require to sacrifice something in the end.  
  
“Come with me, bro!” she said so eagerly, while she was literally bouncing on her feet as if she was a child. “I want to show you what this thing can do!”  
  
  
  
The siblings were outside on the boat, where Capricious set up a couple of dummies made out of sticks, dirty pillows, and whatever else she could find. Duncan had to keep his distance away from her, just so he wouldn’t get hurt, because whatever she has implanted apparently can reach quite a distance.  
  
With a swing of her arm, a long bright red wire sprouted from the metal brace, striking two of the dummies across the chest, tearing them wide open. She laughed, before taking another swing, this time with the wire wrapped around the neck of a dummy. With a single pull, it snapped off.  
  
Duncan frowned from the sight of it. Though the dummies were just for practice, it was obvious why she did this. To use it on actual people.  
  
“Cap,” he spoke up sternly, getting her attention. His body tensed up as for a split second, he thought he saw Capricious doused in blood from head to toe, with that look of utter joy on her face. The way her eyes sparkled, and her teeth gleamed made her look innocent, though it was anything but.  
  
“Bro?” Capricious called out, noticing that his jaw was hanging.  
  
Duncan quickly cleared his throat and shook off the feeling of horror that weighed down on him. “You… don’t think you are going to be doing this forever, do you?”  
  
Capricious blinked in confusion. “I don’t think so… but, I can’t say. I mean, as long as the APB is still out on us, we got to do, what we got to do… even if that means we have to be shadowrunners, right?”  
  
“But, if there was a chance for us to go back to a normal life, would you?”  
  
Capricious paused as she thought about it. She then shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I like everyone here. They are fun to hang around with, and they sort of remind me of some people I have met back in prison.” She then laughed briefly before she became lost in her thoughts. She then retracted the wire back into her wrist.   
  
Duncan frowned while clenching his hands into fists. “I don’t want you to get too deep into this, sis. Being a shadowrunner is just a life of doing dirty work for others.”  
  
Capricious nodded her head in agreement, before she forced a grin. “Well, I am just trying to do my best here, Duncan. And, I know that what we are doing is not right, but it can’t be helped.” She shrugged. “I know that you worked hard on being a Lone Star, but that is no longer the case here, is it? So, let’s put our skills to use, and fight until we no longer can.”  
  
Which probably means they are going to be shadowrunners until they are dead, Duncan thought.  
  
She then gave him a gentle jab on the arm with her left hand that isn’t chromed. “Come on, we got this. Just, try your best, okay?”  
  
Duncan huffed out a sigh, before placing a hand on her shoulder. “Fine.”


	6. Distrust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duncan worries about Capricious, but tries to confront it in the worst way possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING - Drug/alcohol references.

Duncan noticed that Capricious was rather quiet today. When he checked on her in her room, he tried to strike up some sort of conversation, only to be dismissed when she claimed that she was busy doing something on her computer. When he saw her cook food in the kitchen, he tried to ask what she was cooking, which she simply replied with, “Noodles,” as she stirred the strings inside the bowl. Once she was done, she took a bowl of it with her back into her room without another word.  
  
Was it one of those days, he thought? He remembered that she often shuts herself in her room when it was the time of the month for her, and just prefers to keep to herself instead of unintentionally lashing out at her and Raymond.   
  
Raymond understood and just left her alone, while Duncan just couldn’t help but worry.   
  
But, it never was long until she is usually back to her old self.   
  
Maybe, he just had to be patient for her to be her old self once again.   
  
—   
  
A few days went by, and while Capricious certainly seemed talkative, she was anything but energetic. In fact, it seemed like she really couldn’t be bothered to do anything, except bring up the upcoming job.   
  
Someone had asked them to steal some sort of valuable item, which would require taking lives no doubt, so she decided to bring both Gaichu and Racter along with them. The way she spoke was rather serious, while at the same time, it seemed like her mind was somewhere else.   
  
Duncan frowned as he started to assume the worst.   
  
In the middle of preparation, Duncan barged into Capricious’ room to grab her wrists. He checked if there were any bruises on her arms, then grabbed her head to stare into her eyes. “What the hell are you doing, Duncan?” she asked as she struggled to push him away.   
  
“You aren’t using drugs, are you, Cap?” he asked, in such a scolding tone, it was a surprise to her that he wasn’t screaming at her.   
  
Capricious scowled at him. “First off, Duncan,” she said before she finally released herself from his grip, “what I do is none of your business! Second, I am not taking drugs! Why do you even think that I am?!”   
  
“Because you are acting weird! Distant!”   
  
“So?! Can a person just take some time for themselves? I’m just stressed out, okay?!”   
  
Duncan paused, then backed away from her so she could breathe. Some part of him did not believe her, but then, it has been so long since they have seen each other, so of course, the Capricious that he sees before him now, is not the same one as before. Whatever happened to her in prison must had taken quite a toll on her mentally. What’s worse is what they had witnessed when she arrived to Hong Kong.   
  
Duncan took in a deep breath, before stomping away.   
  
Capricious did not bother to go chasing after him to yell at him. Instead, she decided to continue her preparation as if nothing had happened.   
  
—   
  
Despite the fact he was blind, Gaichu could tell that there was something wrong. There was some sort of friction between the siblings, as he could hear their heavy footsteps were far apart from one another.   
  
He wasn’t surprised, considering the fact he overheard their argument earlier.   
  
There was nothing that he could do or say that could fix it, but, maybe he could speak to one of the siblings to put their mind at ease.   
  
But, who was the best person he could speak to? Capricious clearly didn’t want to talk, but Duncan on the other hand wanted to say something to her, only to hesitate and stop before he could utter a single word.   
  
Without turning to him, he asked Racter, “Do you mind keeping Capricious company?”   
  
Racter perked a brow as he looked between the ghoul and the woman. “I believe she is doing well on her own… but if I may ask, why?”   
  
“Can you not tell? There is something wrong between her and Duncan.”   
  
Racter blinked as he just now realized why things felt different, but he had a hard time trying to pinpoint exactly what was the problem. He didn’t expect it to be the siblings themselves. “Very well. Do you wish for me to ask her what happened?”   
  
“No, just keep her company. I don’t believe she wants to talk, but if there is one thing that should help her feel comfortable, is being in someone’s presence that isn’t her brother.”   
  
Racter paused. Then shrugged. “Very well. Koschei and I will stand by her side.”   
  
Gaichu gave him a nod, before he left to face Duncan alone in a room.   
  
“What do you need?” Duncan asked, trying to keep his calm in the presence of the ghoul. It’s clear that he feels uncomfortable with Gaichu around, especially when they are alone, but he trusts his sister’s judgement enough to at least attempt to treat him kindly.   
  
“I wish to speak about you and your sister. I won’t lie to you- I heard the argument between you two.”   
  
Duncan growled as his muscles tensed up. He cursed at Gaichu in his head, before he spoke through gritted teeth. “That’s something private, Gaichu. It’s none of your business.”   
  
Gaichu bowed his head before the orc. “I acknowledge that, however, if things continue this way, it won’t benefit anyone if either of you don’t keep your focus on the job at hand. I understand that you are worried about your sister, but I believe that she is a capable leader, and a trustworthy person.”   
  
Duncan huffed. “It’s not like I don’t trust her! I just don’t want her to do anything stupid!”   
  
“And has she done anything that you consider to be stupid during your time here?”   
  
Duncan paused as he thought about it. While it’s true that Capricious had changed, there were certain things about her that did not. Her love for books, games, music, and her attempts to try and help out those in need, like when they first had met. Sure they argued, but it was almost always over petty things, and in the end, they often share a laugh at how they both acted.   
  
However, he also noticed that when they got into shadowrunning, she almost seemed too excited. As if this was something she always wanted to do, but never could because of Raymond. Then again, she did claim that she wanted to find out what happened to Raymond, so anyone that tries to stop her has to go down.   
  
Duncan raised up a hand to rub his chin. “She hasn’t… but, I was worried that she was getting into something that could possibly destroy her in a way… I don’t know… I can’t explain it.”   
  
Gaichu turned away from Duncan, but he still listened to his words. “You haven’t seen your sister in years, until now, so it’s only natural that you would feel this way. But, believe her when she says she isn’t doing anything that could, as you say, ‘destroy’ her. From our conversations, she is honest, if not thoroughly curious about things…” Gaichu recalled that she did try to make him open his mouth so she could see his teeth. Then there were the conversations she had with Racter about various subjects.   
  
He huffed before he continued, “Besides, I don’t smell anything out of the ordinary from her. No scent of alcohol, nor drugs. In fact, if there is one thing I have noticed, it is that, she seems scared to use any sort of substance that she finds.”   
  
“Really?” Duncan wasn’t sure if he should be relieved, or if he could believe in Gaichu’s words. But, either way, he decided that he will take it, since it did give him a sense of peace. “Fine, I will believe you for now. I guess, I just don’t trust her like I used to.”   
  
“Yet, you follow her still. There is trust between you two, but not in the same way when you were children.”   
  
“So she told you about our childhood?”   
  
“Yes. But, that is in the past. For now, let’s focus on what we have to do.”   
  
Duncan’s lips thinned, before he forced a nod, though he knew that Gaichu couldn’t see. But, it seemed that Gaichu is aware of it, as he smiled.   
  
—   
  
The stealing was easy, the firefight afterward was not.   
  
But, things worked out well for the group, despite their injuries, and disheveled appearance.   
  
When they arrived back to Heoi, while Racter and Gaichu returned to the Dowager Empress, Duncan stopped Capricious to speak to her alone.   
  
She didn’t seem angry anymore, just exhausted from the firefight.   
  
It was best for him to keep it brief, he thought. “Um, Cap… I want to say sorry.”   
  
She blinked in confusion at first, before she remembered why he is bringing this up. “It’s okay, bro. I know you’re worried, I just… I am just dealing with some personal troubles.”   
  
“I see… do you want to talk about it?”   
  
“Maybe, at some point… but, it’s hard to talk about, so don’t expect me to come to you for that conversation. For now, let’s just try to do our best, okay?”   
  
Duncan stared at her in silence, narrowing his eyes at her, before he reached out to pet her head. “Okay, sis. Let’s go get some rest.”   
  
“Yeah, let’s.” She chuckled as she took the lead.


	7. No Longer Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaichu carries on teaching Ku Feng.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CAUTION - There is a major spoiler of a conversation with Gaichu regarding a hairpin. I really loved that conversation, so I attempted to type it word for word from the game, so yeah.
> 
> WARNING - Violence

“Have you ever met someone, and known within seconds that you would be close?”  
  
Capricious looked away from the hairpin she was holding, to face Gaichu. He held his head in his hand, while tilting it to one side, waiting for her answer.  
  
She paused to think about it. Memories of an old friend when she was a teenager surfaced in her head. Then a face of a female orc back in prison. Then another prisoner, whom was an elf man. Capricious wasn’t entirely sure if Gaichu meant in a romantic way or not, but either way, there were moments that she felt a strong connection to specific people, before she arrived here to Hong Kong.  
  
“Yes. Not often, but sometimes,” she replied.  
  
“Then you know the feeling I am speaking of…”  
  
—  
  
“Never hesitate to kill, Ku Feng,” Gaichu said to her, while she clinged onto a scared metahuman that was begging to be spared. “Remember, you have to feed from them if you want to survive.”  
  
Ku Feng stared into the metahuman’s eyes, with her claws hanging above their heads. He is right, she thought. If she wants to embrace herself, she can’t hesitate to kill. If she wants to be a Queen, she needs to live. And to live, is to drain a life, as she is a vampire.  
  
She then dug her fangs into the metahuman, sucking on the red liquid from their veins, before cutting their throat to finish them off.  
  
The sound of their body hitting the floor pleased Gaichu. However, he understood that turning to such a life after being infected is a difficult path to walk on, so he had to be patient with Ku Feng.  
  
At least she is learning.  
  
Ku Feng wiped away the blood on her lips, before turning to the ghoul. “How could you handle this?” she asked.  
  
Gaichu frowned. “It’s a long story, Ku Feng. One that I don’t wish to speak to you about.”  
  
Ku Feng raised a brow as she crossed her arms. “Now you got me even more curious… but, I will try not to pry, if you don’t want to talk about it.” She then looked down at the deceased metahuman, feeling both guilty and saddened. “I don’t know if I will ever get used to this…”  
  
Gaichu’s snarl frightened the vampire. “If you don’t embrace yourself soon, I will no longer teach you, Ku Feng.”  
  
Ku Feng stomped her foot on the ground, trying to straighten her pose, despite her fear. “I am trying, Gaichu!”  
  
“You are not trying hard enough,” he growled. “You already took several lives so far, and yet, you still hold onto your human side. You are scared of losing yourself, even though you aren’t the person you once were.”  
  
Ku Feng’s lips pursed while her eyes narrowed. She wanted to be strong, but she couldn’t deny the fact that she is scared of losing herself. She then dropped her head. “Then… please… help me. Tell me, Gaichu, about how it felt when you were infected.”  
  
Memories of his time with the Renraku was as clear as day to Gaichu. At first, he hesitated, before he started to tell her bits and pieces of himself, though he really did not want to talk about it.

 

At some point in the conversation, Gaichu remembered someone that once was very important to him, before he joined the Renraku.  
  
Ku Feng noticed that he seemed rather hurt, and decided it would be best to carry on this conversation another time. “Thank you, Gaichu,” she spoke, surprising the ghoul. “I really appreciate that you are patient with me, and I promise you that I will one day repay you and your friends. Until then, I hope you can still teach me.”  
  
Gaichu’s lips thinned. He wasn’t sure what to say in response, but Ku Feng didn’t care.  
  
“Have a pleasent evening,” she continued, before she walked away from the ghoul.  
  
As he heard her heels clicking against the ground grow distant, Gaichu wondered why he started to think about Sayuri.  
  
Maybe it was the conversation with Capricious that he had before coming here.  
  
He huffed out a sigh before he went to hunt for himself.  
  
—  
  
_Once he plucked the hairpin from Capricious’ hand, Gaichu gently touched it between his fingers to feel the shape._  
  
_“I keep this to remind myself of the things we have to give up, in pursuit of what we think is best. But, few of us ever really know what it is that we want - not truly. We simply grasp at mirages that we think will fulfill us.”_  
  
_Capricious could not think of a single thing to say as she listened to his every word._  
  
_“Humans tie themselves to other people with the most tenuous of strings, thinking love will fill the emptiness inside us. When that fails, we tell ourselves it was not meant to be- that fate, or destiny, would have wrenched us apart. But that is a convenient lie. It is up to us, and only up to us, to make our futures.”_  
  
_He then places the hairpin back in the box. “So I feel that it would behoove me to never forget the things I have given up in pursuit of ‘the better option.’ I do not dwell in the past, nor am I haunted by it, but it would be doing Sayuri a disservice to forget what she wanted for me.”_


	8. Comfortable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isobel and Gobbet have a quiet time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't think of much for these two, but I still wanted to at least write them out, because just like the rest of the cast, they are good characters. I really should replay the game to see if I can get more ideas for them. Isobel and Gobbet deserve something better.

The Matrix felt like paradise for Isobel, as she found peace within the cyber world. She could do anything that she wanted to do, and be whoever she wanted to be, that she could not do in the real world. The real world is bitter, cold, and suffocating, unlike the Matrix.

However, she knew that she had to face the facts, once she noticed Gobbet coming out of her room with two bowls of noodles.

Once she jacked out of the Matrix, it took her a moment to get used to being back in her body, wiping away the saliva and snot from her face, before she faced the bowl. Her stomach growled for it. She looked up at Gobbet, as she gave her a small smile, then picked up the bowl to eat.

There was a strange taste to it, but Isobel didn’t mind. Gobbet’s cooking is always welcoming.

Neither of the ladies spoke as they slurped up the noodles. It was a calm comfortable silence, that they only share with each other. After all, they do hold deep scars of terrible pasts experiences, that neither one wanted to look back on.

Though they also didn’t expect for things to turn out the way it did, and with the help of their leader, they had faced their pasts, to move on towards a hopefully better future.


	9. Love, Loved, To Be In Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Capricious has a chat with Racter, as they tend to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING - Mentions of sex.
> 
> Also, this is just me trying to get a grasp on Racter with my understanding of him, while working on the in game conversations he shares with the protag. I can't say it's accurate, but I tried. It's also kind of fun to think of certain headcanons, but I often don't usually put them into my writing. Still, I had fun.

Because of how often she tends to visit Racter, eventually Capricious was given her own chair to sit on. A stool that looks like it was made together using scrap metal, and a pillow. Well, at least she found it comfortable, especially with the back support. It doesn’t look as if it would last for very long however, since she tends to lean back into it too far, that she almost always falls over with it.   
  
Racter often scolded her for doing something so foolish, but she couldn’t help herself. When she gets lost in their conversations, she tends to forget where she is at. She even nearly fell off the railing at one point, only to be grabbed by Racter, and pulled forward with a warning that if she does that ever again, he wouldn’t save her.   
  
Though having a corpse stuck in between the tubes and metal would give him more trouble, than having an absent minded woman who genuinely enjoys their conversations stick around.   
  
Always a soundboard, never a woman, she thought, but it only amused her.   
  
Still, she was curious about something, and she wanted to know if he could answer a simple question. “Have you ever fallen in love?”   
  
Racter was silent as he looked at her with a puzzled expression, and a cigarette between his lips. “For as many times as we’ve spoken, I had believed that you knew enough about me to know that I am not like others, my friend.”   
  
“Yeah, yeah, I know… but, I am just curious, Racter. If you do consider me as a friend, even on a cerebral level, then could it possible to be in love with someone? Or rather, just… ‘love’ someone,” she asked, while making quotation marks with her fingers.   
  
He paused while trying to read Capricious’ face as she seemed rather distant from her tone. He then took another drag of the cigarette before crushing it onto his desk. As the smoke poured out from his lips, he silently approached Capricious, and leaned in towards her face close enough that she was forced to return to reality, once she fell along with her chair once again, because she tried to back away. She then covered her face as she felt her cheeks flush from being so close to him like that.   
  
Racter let out a snort. “If I had to take a guess, you’re the one who is in love with me, my friend.”   
  
Capricious felt her heart skip a bit, as he guessed right. But, this isn’t about that.   
  
She took in a deep breath as she got up with the chair in hand. “I am not asking if you have any feelings for me, I am asking if you can fall in love. Or maybe connect with someone in way that you can consider to be more than just friends.”   
  
He pondered on those words, while Capricious sat back down on the stool. She noticed Koschei under the table, staring at her. She gave him a smile, before turning back to Racter with his eyes fixed on her as well.   
  
“Tell me,” he finally spoke, “do you understand that not everyone has the chemicals to fall in love, and there are those that are not interested in sex?”   
  
Capricious’ brows furrowed. “I do… and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. Actually, I sometimes wish I was born without either of those feelings, as it just leaves me frustrated nowadays,” she answered as she ran her hand over her shirt that hid the scar on her abdomen, which Racter had noticed. “But, this isn’t about me, anyway.”   
  
“Then let me give you my answer - It may not be impossible for me to bond with a person as a friend, but if we happened to be lovers, then it means that person does indeed matter to me in a different way than most. Let’s say, a fascination, or obsession of sorts. Or rather, if I had my lower half intact, that could also mean that my intention with them is simply to reproduce.”   
  
“So, you’re saying you can be ‘in love’, if they are of use to you in a different way than a friend could be, basically?”   
  
Racter shrugged. “I can’t tell you for sure, as I don’t believe I have ever truly bonded with someone in that way. However, I did have sex before, mainly out of curiosity, just so you know, my friend.”   
  
Capricious burst out laughing, as she did not need to know that. “Well then! Good to know!” Her laughter died down quickly, but she still had a smile on her lips. “Well, it’s only natural. And I guess that does answer my question. I just wanted to understand you better. Outside of the technobabble, ideas of a posthuman future, and Koschei.”   
  
She heard the drone whirr as he crawled out from underneath the table, to stand by Racter’s side. As he often does, Racter started to run his hand over Koschei’s chassis. “Does Koschei no longer interest you, my friend?”   
  
Capricious shook her head. “No, I think he is rather amazing. Not only is he a beast in a fight, he seems like good company to have outside of missions. I mean, I wouldn’t mind having something like Koschei myself, but while I do have some understanding of drone technology, I am not you, Racter. You worked in robotics, while I tamper with computers, and mess around in the Matrix, whether it’s for a job, or for fun… and sometimes they tend to overlap.” She shrugged with a grin.   
  
Racter hummed thoughtfully. “‘Capricious’…”   
  
“Yeah?” she answered.   
  
“Such an interesting word to choose for yourself, my friend…”   
  
Capricious was silent.   
  
“Erratic…” he continued, “unpredictable… volatile… I have to admit, when we first met, I thought you were joking that you called yourself ‘Capricious’, but knowing you as well as I do now, I think it certainly fits.”   
  
Capricious looked down at the ground as she remembered why she chose that word for a nickname. Ever since her mother had been killed, she had to learn how to survive and fend for herself, even after she had met Duncan. As a coping mechanism, she tends to laugh whenever they were both in danger, or had to do something unpredictable when push comes to shove. There were times when some people thought of her as some child with mental instability, but she was always aware of what she was doing, though Raymond wasn’t too fond of it.   
  
But how the word became a nickname for her was when she started to learn how to read. For her, the word just felt right when she learned the meaning of it. From then on, she insisted that Duncan should call her that, because her real name wasn’t as interesting as “capricious”.   
  
She chuckled briefly at how silly it seems now, but it did stick, though Duncan tends to call her “Cap” just to keep it short. “It’s a good word, I’d like to think,” she said. “After all, in this world, you have to do what you can if you want to survive, no?” Capricious gave him a grin, before huffing out a sigh. She then got up from her chair to leave the workshop. “Anyway, thanks for answering my question, as stupid as it was.”   
  
“I don’t believe it to be stupid, my friend. After all, it’s natural to be curious, and to have such an open mind is a good thing. You may act like a fool, but you are anything but one.”   
  
Capricious looked at him briefly. As always, his lips curled into a smile, but his eyes held no hint of warmth. No, there was no way he could return her feelings, she thought, but his words were good enough to make her feel proud of herself. “Thanks, Racter… see you later.”   
  
Maybe it would be best to let their friendship simply be the way it is.   
  
Not to mention he is twice her age.   
  
But, does that really matter to her?   
  
No… but, that could be enough for an excuse to smother her feelings.


	10. Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaichu and Capricious talk in the middle of a stormy night.

Capricious noticed Gaichu was standing on the ship deck, dousing himself in the rain. “Gaichu?” she called out, as she walked up to stand beside him.   
  
“Capricious,” he replied, without turning, not that he needed to.   
  
“Are you okay?” she asked, while staring out at the horizon. The winds were getting stronger, which worried her. She doesn’t believe the Dowager Empress can handle the upcoming typhoon.   
  
Gaichu paused. “Yes… What about you?”   
  
Capricious shrugged. “Sort of. There is a lot I am just… trying to digest, I guess.”   
  
Gaichu chuckled. “Eventually your stomach will settle, and all your thoughts will be cleared from worry, Capricious. I only hope that you can keep a level head during missions.”   
  
Capricious took in a deep breath through her lips, before looking up at the cloudy sky. The rain drops blurred her vision as they hit against her goggles. “I can’t promise that, but I will try.”   
  
Gaichu placed his clawed hand on her shoulder to give her a tight squeeze, while trying not to hurt her. “Nothing feels the same when you learn the truth about someone, but, you should give it some time to let it sink in, before you see him.”   
  
“If I do,” she corrected.   
  
“No, you will. You have got this far in life, fighting for your life and ours, helping us, as well as keeping an open mind about us. With us at your side, we will help you and Duncan find the truth. No matter how anxious you feel now, you have the strength to endure whatever comes at you… at least, that is what I believe.”   
  
Capricious felt her eyes water up, but she struggled to hold them back. With another deep breath, she exhaled to calm herself down. “Thank you, Gaichu. You… and the others… really are great friends…”   
  
Gaichu nodded his head as he lifted his hand from Capricious’ trembling body.   
  
“I am going to go for a walk… see you, Gaichu…”   
  
Gaichu said nothing as he heard her footsteps hit the stairs one by one, until he no longer can hear them.


	11. Deceit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew takes on a kidnapping mission, only for things to go awry within moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a rough one to write. I plan to make some more parts over time, but it's going to be a slower process than before. Anyway, take it easy folks.
> 
> WARNING - Major violence

Getting through the building felt a bit too easy, that it started to unsettle Capricious.  
  
Even Gobbet could feel something was off. Her skittery rats squeaked and fumble through her hair and clothes, while they sniffed the air. She tried to soothe them with gentle pets and coos, but it didn’t ease their anxiety any less.  
  
The crew are supposed to kidnap a scientist, but the security here is quite light if this place is supposed to be a some sort of secret laboratory. The hallways were quiet, and any signs of guards tend to disappear as soon as anyone takes notice.  
  
Duncan’s grip on his assault rifle was tight, as he scanned the hallways through his goggles. No signs of life, except for Capricious, Gobbet, and Racter.  
  
When they arrived to the floor where the scientist was supposed to be, Capricious took a look at one end of the hallway, where she could see some doors and signs that pinpoint to different rooms, then to the other that had more rooms and signs. “It would probably be best if we split up…” she spoke.  
  
“I don’t think so, Capricious,” Duncan replied. “It will be better if we stay together. Who knows if there is an ambush  waiting for us…”  
  
Capricious’ lips pursed as she thought about it. Wouldn’t surprise her if that is the case, considering how quiet this place is. Maybe someone is expecting some sort of group of shadowrunners to come here, so they may have some sort of specialized security here… but why not ambush them already?  
  
No, something is indeed wrong, she thought. With a nod, she waved her crew to follow her, as she head to the right end of the hallway.  
  
Until an explosion went off, blasting the group apart.  
  
The sound of her ears ringing made Capricious so dizzy, that the hallway was spinning before her eyes. She tried to pull herself together to get back on her feet, only to feel a sting on her neck, that forced her back down onto the ground. She felt a strange sensation run through her veins, as she struggled to stay awake to reach for her neck, only to pass out.  
  
The security guard eyed her as they lowered their weapon, then turned to the silver haired man that was slumped against the wall nearby. A smile of pride played on their lips as the plan to separate the group succeeded, though it may had caused casualties. Not that it matter, as long the team leader “Capricious” was still breathing.  
  
In the middle of taking away Capricious weapons, the sound of something rumbling through the debris caught the guard’s attention. Once they laid eyes on a set of bright red lights, the guard tried to pull out a different weapon, only to be pierced by a bullet through the shoulder, forcing them to drop their weapons.  
  
Out of fear, the guard stepped away from Capricious, then looked to the silver haired man that was very much awake, with a pistol in his hands. With a dry smile, he pulled the trigger again, only to miss.  
  
It took the guard a minute to realize they were still alive, but before they could laugh at the man, the drone burst out from the debris, with its legs splayed out.  
  
The sound of their screams was very satisfying to hear, along with their body being torned apart viciously by Koschei’s limbs. Once he hid the pistol back into his coat, Racter slowly got up from the ground, only to collapse as his right leg gave away. He let out a low growl as he once again tried to get back up.  
  
Koschei backed off from the disemboweled guard to support the rigger up right.  
  
Despite the fact he may have to limp around the building, Racter was at least alive. That was always a good sign for him.  
  
He then looked down at Capricious.  
  
Fortunately, he could see that she was still breathing. Unfortunately, the dart in her neck meant she won’t wake up anytime soon.  
  
Carrying her around is going to be tedious, but, he couldn’t accept the idea of leaving her behind. She is far too important to him to lose.  
  
He then turned to the rubble that was caused by the explosion. He wondered if the other two are still alive. He hoped so, as their deaths meant their chances of getting out of here would be quite low. But, there was nothing he can do about it for the time being.  
  
For now, he had to find a better place for Capricious to sleep, and for him to recover.   
  
—  
  
The sounds of rats squeaking stirred Duncan awake. Realizing what had happened, he immediately got on his feet and looked around the area to find that Gobbet was with him, but neither Capricious or Racter were there. Panic started to set in, but before he could yell out for his sister, Gobbet interrupted, “Hey, Gunshow! Rest well?”  
  
Duncan turned to Gobbet with a snarl. “Why are you acting as if nothing had happened?! Where is my sister?!”  
  
Gobbet’s lips thinned as she turned away from Duncan. “I don’t know… but, I believe she is still alive.”  
  
“Oh?!” he scoffed. “What makes you say that, Gobbet?!”  
  
Gobbet’s brows furrowed while idly petting Rat on her shoulder. “Think of it as a gut feeling, okay? Your sister is a tough girl, and I don’t believe an explosion like that would kill her. Besides, she is not alone; she has that Russian with her.”  
  
Duncan huffed out a sigh in disbelief. Not only did he hear that Gobbet believes that Capricious is alive because of her gut feeling, but that his sister is alone with that creep. He never understood how Capricious could be friends with that man, but then, he never expected her to accept a ghoul into their crew either.  
  
He started to pace around the room, while running his hands over his head. He wanted to believe that she is alive, but to be in the company of Racter worried him, whether she is dead or alive.  
  
After all, it was obvious to Duncan that she really likes him, despite how hard she tries to hide it. Not only does she hang around in the workshop a lot, she also brings Racter along to almost every mission that Duncan could remember.  
  
He also wasn’t sure how Racter feels about her in return. Something about him puts him off enough for him to keep his distance, but, if Capricious trusts him, then Duncan couldn’t help it. He may question her as many times as he wants, but it’s clear that whatever the reason may be, Capricious doesn’t seem to care about how others think of her. What only could push her buttons is what others think of her friends.  
  
That was one thing that hasn’t changed since their childhood, Duncan thought.  
  
Gobbet hummed thoughtfully as she approached Duncan. “We should go find them. I think there are some stairs near here, but there are guards on patrol now...”  
  
Duncan didn’t like hearing that, but it couldn’t be helped. Once he found his weapon on a nearby table, he went to pick it up. Once he made sure there were enough bullets, he nodded to Gobbet. “Let’s go. I got your back.”  
  
“That’s the spirit, Gunshow.” She chuckled, right before she barged through the door.  
  
  
Both Duncan and Gobbet fought through the guards, as they made their way around the building. When they found a row of dead bodies laying before a door, some with their organs hanging out, it was clear to them that Racter, and hopefully Capricious, were there.  
  
Duncan gave it a few knocks, before opening it.  
  
The first person he saw was Racter, as he sat behind an office desk with a cigarette in one hand, and his pistol on the table. Duncan also noticed he wasn’t wearing his coat.  
  
Then he spotted Capricious laying on a couch nearby, with Racter’s jacket covering her.  
  
He glared at the rigger with his hand on the trigger of his rifle, but before anything could happen, Gobbet was quick to notice that Capricious was merely asleep. “What happened to Seattle?” she asked, as she attempted to shoved Duncan away.  
  
Racter let out a puff of smoke, while Koschei appeared from behind the desk, with his sensors fixed on the two orcs. “She was hit with a tranquilizer not long after the explosion,” the rigger replied. “I am not sure why, but it was obvious to me that whoever they were wanted her alive.”  
  
With his weapon still in hand, Duncan approached Capricious. As he pressed two fingers against her neck to feel a heartbeat, he noticed there was a bruise as well. He then dropped his weapon, as he hugged his sister in utter relief that she was still alive.  
  
Gobbet couldn’t help but smile as the two reunited warmed her heart. She then turned back to Racter as he seemed indifferent to the scene. “Thanks for keeping her alive,” she said.  
  
He waved his hand in the air to dismiss the thanks. “It is only natural, as she our leader, no? I couldn’t fail her, as it would cause us more trouble than anything.”  
  
Duncan snapped his head towards Racter with a snarl. “Is that all she is to you?” he said, trying to keep his voice calm to not wake her up. “Someone you want alive because she is nothing more than just a thing to use? To rely on, when you need something?”  
  
Racter shook his head with a smile. “Excuse me if I had misspoken, Duncan. Capricious means more to me than that, but it wasn’t just because she is an important person to me. She is your sister after all, no?”  
  
Duncan pursed his lips as he laid Capricious back down on the couch. Once he picked up Racter’s jacket to toss it back to him, he checked to see if there any signs of injury on her body. None, aside from the bruise on her neck.  
  
He turned back to Racter with a glare, while he simply gave him a smile.  
  
“How long is she going to be out cold?” Gobbet asked.  
  
Once he hung his coat over his arm, Racter pulled out a dart from his pocket and placed it on the desk. “This particular sedative is much stronger than I had hoped. Not only would it take her hours to wake up, parts of her body would be numb as well. Most likely so that she wouldn’t be able to run.”  
  
Duncan picked his rifle back up from the ground as he approached the desk. “Do you think this scientist has something to do with this?”  
  
Racter shrugged. “I couldn’t find anything about this scientist in this office, however, if the guards are anything to go by, it seems that there is something else going on here than we had originally had thought. There are tests being run here, but most of the information had been erased, so I can’t tell you what exactly is going on. I can only assume they wanted Capricious for one reason or another, since they had not killed her…” Racter paused as he took another drag of the cigarette. “They also hesitated to shoot me when the guards saw me carrying her.”  
  
“Weird…” Gobbet said. “So, what should we do then?”  
  
“I’d say we should go look for this scientist,” Duncan replied, with a tight grip of his rifle.  
  
“I would like to go with you to meet with this scientist myself,” Racter spoke up, while idly scratching his forehead, “however, one of my legs was injured during the explosion.”  
  
“Oh really?” Duncan sneered at the rigger.  
  
Racter tucked the cigarette between his lips as he slowly got up. While he limped around the desk to reveal the truth, the two looked at his malfunctioning leg in horror. A very familiar reaction to him. “I am not one to lie, Duncan. Besides, someone has to watch over your sister, no? Koschei and I will be glad to do so.”  
  
Duncan stared into his eyes, before shaking his head. “Fine, stay. But, if anything happens to Cap, you will pay for it, got it?”  
  
Even though Racter gave him a smile, Koschei’s engine roared. “Don’t you worry,” he said. “Your sister is in safe hands.”  
  
Duncan gave Capricious one last look, before he forced himself to turn on his heel and leave the room. “Let’s go, Gobbet,” he ordered.  
  
Gobbet looked between Racter and Capricious as she followed Duncan outside the office.  
  
Once the door shut behind them, Koschei approached Racter. It was clear that neither of them were in the best of shape, but thanks to Koschei’s self repair kit, they could endure a little longer. The rigger was honestly disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to meet this scientist, and no doubt, they would wind up dead in Duncan’s hands, but there was nothing he could do about it.  
  
“It… hurts…” Capricious cried out, clenching onto her abdomen. “Please… make it stop…”  
  
Racter crushed the last bit of the cigarette on the desk, as he slowly made his way towards her, to place his coat back over her body. She became quiet again, as she wrapped it tightly around herself.  
  
It surprised him that she wasn’t crying out in agony once Duncan took off the jacket. Maybe it was because of his hug that she found some sort of comfort in her sleep, until he left the room.  
  
Whatever the reason was, Racter heard her cries of agony, once he laid her on the couch. She held onto him, begging for him to stay, which was unexpected. Whatever nightmare she was suffering from must have felt very real to her, but even though he did try to wake her up, she didn’t.  
  
Racter huffed as he turned away from Capricious, to sit back down on the chair.  
  
With his pistol in hand, and Koschei on stand by, they were ready for anymore guards that would come for her.  
  
—  
  
The sound of Gobbet’s rats squeaking was the only sound between her and Duncan. There was nothing she could say to make Duncan comfortable with the thought of Racter watching over his sister, but something in her gut told her that Capricious would be okay. She just had to put a little trust in him, which is enough for Gobbet.  
  
  
After killing some more guards, Duncan found a keycard to a secured room. With a bit of searching around, they found the room, and with a swipe of the card, the door opened before them. Both stared in at the sight of surgical tools, tubes, and a table with straps.  
  
They then made eye contact with a woman dressed up in surgical attire.  
  
“Ah, I thought you were the guards, but no, you are just that woman’s companions,” she said, with a hint of amusement in her tone. “How unfortunate…”  
  
Without a second thought, Duncan rose up his assault rifle to take a shot at the woman, only to be stopped when she waved her arm to whip the weapon off from his grasp, and took it for herself.  
  
Gobbet was about to blast a bolt of energy at her, until the weapon went off, barely missing her.  
  
The woman chuckled as she eyed the assault rifle. “What an unreliable tool…”  
  
Before they knew it, guards surrounded the two orcs, with their weapons readied.  
  
Duncan snarled at the disadvantage, while Gobbet seemed both anxious, but ready to attack.  
  
“I am Dr. Ling,” the woman spoke up. “And if you want out of here alive, you have to give up your leader, ‘Capricious’.”  
  
Duncan scoffed. “As if. You think I will give up my sister that easily?”  
  
“No, but you won’t be able to last long if you attempt to fight… as well as that rigger and his drone.”  
  
Gobbet laughed. “Whatever, lady. We are not going to give you Seattle!”  
  
Dr. Ling clicked her tongue at them, as she placed Duncan’s assault rifle down on the bed. “That’s disappointing… but, it doesn’t matter anymore.” She then signaled the guards to start shooting, however, Gobbet quickly flicked something towards their direction, making a rift open up. The guards started to hold onto their heads, screaming in agony, while dropping their weapons.  
  
As they stumbled into each other in confusion, Duncan was quick to toss a grenade, blowing some limbs off, then turned to the doctor. Like an enraged bull, he rushed at her, to give her a hard punch across the face, knocking her off her feet and onto the ground.  
  
He then picked up his weapon, aimed towards the doctor, and released a swarm of bullets, killing her instantly.  
  
It wasn’t long until the two overpowered the rest of the guards.  
  
Once things have calmed down, Gobbet let out a shout of victory while thrusting her hands up in the air. “We did it! We survived! I thought we wouldn’t, but we did!”  
  
“Thanks to your quick thinking, Gobbet.”  
  
She chucked with her chest puffed out in pride. “I am glad I saved that pebble up until now. Capricious always told me to save it unless things go bad… but I just think she seems afraid of me using it. Still, it’s a good idea.” She chuckled.  
  
Duncan wasn’t exactly in the mood to celebrate, as he looked around the surgical room. Everything was prepared, but for what exactly? To dissect her organs? To put Capricious out of the way?  
  
Whatever the doctor’s reason was, it didn’t matter anymore. With his weapon strapped around his shoulder, Duncan was already on his way back to Capricious.  
  
—  
  
“Welcome back, my friends,” Racter spoke up, as he waved at both Duncan and Gobbet when they returned.  
  
While Gobbet simply chuckled, Duncan walked up to Capricious, and once again tossed the jacket back to Racter, before he picked her up.  
  
“I assumed you found the scientist?”  
  
“Oh, yeah we did… and Duncan killed her too.”  
  
For a brief moment, Gobbet noticed a hint of disappointment on Racter’s face, before he turned to Duncan. “I see. Good to hear… did she tell you anything about what she wanted from Capricious?”  
  
“No, Duncan didn’t care to ask… but, we were in some sort of surgical room. I don’t think either of us wants to know what she had in store for Seattle,” Gobbet replied, while crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
Racter frowned at the thought, before he forced himself to get up and slipped the coat back on. “I see. Well, as long as she is safe, there is nothing else we have to worry about.”  
  
“Are you going to be okay, Racter? The walk from here to the train is a long one.”  
  
Koschei appeared next to Racter to give him the support he needed. “I will be fine, so long as I have Koschei. Now then, shall we go?”  
  
Duncan looked over Capricious sleeping face, before turning to face the two. “Yeah,” he huffed. “Let’s get back to Heoi.”

—

It took Capricious a few days to recover from the side effects of the tranquilizer, which had left her feeling both heavy and numb in both mind and body. It felt no different from waking up from a surgery, which fortunately wasn’t the case this time.

However, not only was everyone in the crew unhappy about the mission being a dud, Kindly Cheng was far less pleased than they were. It was a waste of time and resources.

Capricious only hoped that their next mission wouldn’t be as terrible as that one, but something about it bothered her. What did this Dr. Ling wanted from her specifically? Capricious assumed that somehow she had knew about her and her medical history, but all of that should had died when her identity was erased from the world.

Unfortunately, Capricious may not be able to find the answers to these questions, and instead decided to take her time and rest.

But the feeling of uneasiness settled in her head.

Maybe she really shouldn’t have given Maximum Law any of those metadata in the first place, and now it’s coming back to bite her in the ass. At least he is still alive, for now, but she really should not had given that kid any sort of information, no matter how much nuyen he would had given her.

Too late, unfortunately, she thought. Hopefully, she wouldn’t had to deal with anymore duds for awhile.


	12. Wonder and Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Cap goes on a walk around Heoi, Duncan decides to get some answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be slightly canon divergent, and I am sure I might have overlooked some in game facts, but... no regrets? Nah, full regrets. Can't believe I am making a mini arc with this, actually.

“Hey, sis,” Duncan called out to Capricious, as she was about to leave. “Where are you heading?”  
  
She perked a brow as she slowly opened the door. “I’m… going to meet some friends… why?”  
  
“I was hoping you can stop by the club to buy some grenades,” he answered, then gave her some of his nuyen. “I ran out.”  
  
She stared at it, then at him. Normally Duncan would had went out to restock his own supplies himself, which lead her to believe that he was going to do something questionable once she was gone. Still, since she was going out anyway, she may as well do him this one favor for her brother, and took the nuyen without any questions. “All right, but don’t expect me to come back with anything left… I may spend it on food,” she said with a sly grin.  
  
With that, she slipped past the door, while giggling.  
  
Duncan honestly didn’t care what she did with the money. Even though he did need to restock his supplies, he can trust Capricious to do some errands which should keep her busy for the next hour or two, hopefully.  
  
Once he shut the door, he turned towards the hatch that lead to the workshop. With a huff, he climbed down the steps.  
  
Racter was quick to notice that the footsteps weren’t Capricious’. They were heavier than hers. Still, he greeted his unexpected guest with a smile. “Greetings, Duncan,” he said. “What brings you here?”  
  
Duncan narrowed his eyes at him, before glancing to Koschei as it crawled out from underneath the desk. “I came here to talk,” he answered.  
  
Racter acted as if he was surprised, but he knew that speaking to Duncan alone would had to happen eventually. After all, the orc must certainly be questioning the relationship between him and his sister, with how often she tends to spend time with him. “I am always glad to talk,” he said, “but, excuse me if I don’t answer all your questions. There are some things that I’d rather keep to myself.”  
  
“That only you and her know about?”  
  
Koschei made its way next to Racter’s side, with it’s many eyes fixed on Duncan.  
  
Duncan stood his ground against the drone, with his feet planted on the metallic grown, and shoulders straightened out.

  
Gaichu could sense there was tension outside his room, as he heard the voices of both men, but to get involved would be a fatal mistake for him. Still, he kept his ears open, as he silently sat in the dark.

  
“Now, now, Duncan,” Racter spoke up as he pulled out a cigarette, “if you act anymore threatening, I would only find myself struggling to hold Koschei back - and neither of us would want that, for Capricious’ sake.”  
  
Duncan stared at Koschei for a moment, before turning his gaze to Racter, as he seemed rather nonchalant. But, he is right. “I came down here to ask you what you think about my sister,” he spoke. “You said she was important to you, but in what way?”  
  
Racter paused as he rubbed his chin in thought. “Well, I would like to say, she is a very good listener, and also a very kind person. It’s not often that I’ve met someone like her during my time working in the shadows.” He inhaled smoke from the cigarette deeply, before letting it pour out in a single breath. “But, it’s not just that either. She seems to genuinely want to help me with my work, and tends to let me do as I please without much question. While I could call her naive to believe in me, I don’t believe that is true. She seems aware of what I do, and what I could do, and doesn’t judge me for it. She had accepted me for who I am, and doesn’t seem afraid at all around me.”  
  
He then stared into Duncan’s eyes with a smile. “You have noticed it yourself, no?”  
  
Duncan shut his eyes as staring in this man gaze sends chills up his spine. Nothing about his behavior seemed natural to him, but it must had been the way he had spoken about his sister. After a moment of pulling himself together, he replied, “Yes. I do know how she truly feels for you… but, you haven’t answered my question.”  
  
Racter’s smile grew wider. “Simply put, I am rather fond of her.”  
  
Duncan felt his muscle tightened as his fists clenched, but Racter raised his finger while Koschei’s engine whirred.  
  
“Not in the way you think, Duncan. I quite enjoy having her for company, but, I believe she knows I can’t return such feelings. However, if something were indeed to happen between us, don’t go arguing with your sister as it wouldn’t help anyone here. She is an adult, so neither of us can’t tell her what to do. You can’t make her not see me, nor can you protect her from danger forever. If she happens to stop visiting me, that is up to her. If you don’t approve, you should speak to her yourself, but we both know how that will end.”  
  
Duncan growled through clenched teeth as he couldn’t deny that Racter spoke the truth. If it wasn’t for the drone, and Duncan’s patience that was on very thin ice, he would had gotten up in his face to warn him of what he shouldn’t do with his sister.  
  
But, Capricious is a grown adult, as Racter pointed out.  
  
And Duncan had a hard time accepting that, as the only memories he has of her was during their childhood, up until she got into prison.  
  
He doesn’t want to lose his sister again.  
  
“I don’t think that is the entire truth,” Duncan said. “But, Capricious is still my sister…” He then recalled a conversation he had with Gaichu before. “Even if things between us are different now. She still calls me ‘bro’, and often acts happy to be around me, but I can’t tell if that is her true feelings anymore. When she hangs around with anyone else besides me, it seems as if she doesn’t see me anymore… and I am worried about that.”  
  
Racter listened to Duncan quietly, but he couldn’t feel any sort of sympathy for the orc. “I think that is for you and Capricious to talk about, as I am the wrong person to discuss this with, Duncan. But, this has been a rather interesting conversation.”  
  
Duncan let out a brief chuckle. “Sure… if anything, I would assume you are a psychopath or a sociopath… but, how can I tell? I am not a psychologist, but I have dealt with violent people before who didn’t seem any different than you.”  
  
Racter could simply grin and shrug. “If that’s what you would like to think, I hope you can be open minded about it. Other than that, there isn’t much for me to say that could make you change your mind, I believe.”  
  
Duncan stared at him in silence, unsure if he is denying his comment or not. He decided to shrug it off anyway. “Whatever. As long as Capricious trusts you, I guess I can only grit my teeth and accept it. But, don’t think this means I would agree to the idea of you two… being ‘partners’ or something.”  
  
Racter nearly inhaled the cigarette itself before he burst out into laughter, while at the same time coughing out smoke. Once he calmed down, he gave Duncan a grin. “As I said, it’s not up to either of us to decide. You can’t hold it against your sister for having feelings… but, if something were to happen, don’t hold it against either of us. It’s only natural for things to simply happen, as life works in mysterious ways.”  
  
Duncan frowned, but at least he attempted to try to learn a bit about Racter. Hopefully, he wouldn’t find himself here again. Being in this workshop unsettles him, as well as being in Racter’s presence. The look in his eye were anything but warm.  
  
“I am going to leave. I think we both said enough here.”  
  
“Very well, Duncan. Have a pleasant day.”  
  
Duncan stared at Racter, then to Koschei, before he climbed back up the stairs.  
  
Shortly afterward, Gaichu emerged from his room. “That went surprisingly well,” he commented.  
  
Racter chuckled in response as he turned back to his desk. “I only said what needed to be said… and what he wanted to hear,” he muttered. But not all of it was a lie, he thought. He was indeed rather fond of Capricious, but in what way, he wasn’t sure anymore. He found himself both curious and fascinated about Capricious, as she seemed surprisingly eager to help him for whatever reason.  
  
He chuckled to himself as he realized how lucky he is to had met Capricious. If it wasn’t for her, it may had taken him a lot longer to get back what was stolen from him, and Koschei has been improved thanks to the resources he gained from their jobs in such a short time span. A good friendship to rely on, he thought, and a reliable ally to trust.  
  
He then turned to Gaichu as he retreated back to his room.  
  
Is it really out of kindness, he started wondered. Or maybe, Capricious finds it entertaining to have him and Gaichu by her side.  
  
He recalled back to their conversations, and the way she spoke to him with both caution, and curiosity when they first met. Eventually, it changed into happiness as she seemed to have become more comfortable being around him. But for what reason, exactly? Does she want something out of this, or is it because she is simply doing this for him?  
  
Is her feelings for him that genuine?  
  
He paused as he found himself unable to understand Capricious anymore. When she visits him next time, he may have to be a little be more forward with her to see for himself.  
  
—  
  
Capricious walked around the docks, looking the huge neon sign that belonged to Maximum Law. Law’s Techno Palace.  
  
It’s an utter eye sore, but having someone to supply her with boards to use on missions is welcoming. Though Law himself seems nothing more than an energetic child, not that Capricious mind. He just doesn’t fit in a place as harsh as this, but who else can she go to for upgrades?  
  
Well, there is Isobel, but she seems to be interested in her own computer, than helping Capricious out. For some reason, there is this unspoken rivalry between them when it comes to decking, and Capricious believes that Isobel doesn’t like coming up short when it comes down to it. She can respect that.  
  
But she also can’t help it when they compete on who is the fastest person that can hack into a system. Something about that was quite fun, as she learned a couple tricks from Isobel, but Capricious doesn’t have the same type of equipment that Isobel had made herself to keep up with her.  
  
“Oh, hey there, Cap!” Law shouted while waving at her, which indeed caught her attention. “Come here to buy upgrades?”  
  
“Actually, no,” she replied, sounding surprisingly serious. “I came to talk to you about the metadata I spoke to you about.”  
  
“Oh, um…” Law’s energetic personality suddenly dropped down to a frightened one. “Is there something wrong again?”  
  
“Only if you have been continuing to spread those datas on the Matrix,” she answered.  
  
Law shook his head in fear as he backed into his ship. “No, I stopped that, remember? I even tried to wipe away everything that you told me about, but… well… rumors spread, you know? Not by me, of course!”  
  
Capricious stared at the kid, even though he is probably a full grown adult for all she knows. Either way, she gave him a forced smile. “Well, don’t worry about it, anymore. Just came by to check in on you. Stay sharp, Law.”  
  
Law gave a shaky laugh, as he nodded. “You bet I will!”  
  
With a finger pistol and a wink, Capricious left him to head to Club 88 to pick up supplies for Duncan. As always, she greeted the Ka Fai family as she passed them by, until she met Ermine in the back room. She placed the nuyens on the table, in exchange for grenades and other sorts of supplies that Duncan may need.  
  
Ermine placed them all on the table for Capricious to take, and put away in her bag.  
  
Out of curiosity, she asked Ermine, “How are things here?”  
  
Ermine raised a brow before she gave her a smile. “As loud as the club is, I am glad that Henry is doing a good job with being a bartender. But, he seems eager to teach Federick about sailing.”  
  
“And Callum?”  
  
“Callum seems to be much more relaxed now, but of course, if you need any sort of substance, go to him for that.”  
  
Capricious shrugged at the thought of it. “I’d rather not, but good to hear that they all seem to be doing well. Having your family around is important, so it makes me happy to see you happy that you still have your family together.”  
  
Ermine chuckled. “Family is a good thing to have. Do you plan to have kids of your own, Capricious?”  
  
Capricious shook her head without a second thought. “I don’t think so. One, I already have enough on my hands with being a shadowrunner, and two… well, I don’t have the patience to have a child.” Not to mention that she had a hysterectomy, but no one needs to know about that, she thought.  
  
“Well, you never know as you get older.”  
  
That’s what they all say, Capricious thought.  
  
“But, it’s your choice in the end.”  
  
Well, Capricious still has her ovaries. Who knows what could happen. “Maybe… but I don’t want to raise a kid while being a shadowrunner. I mean… I wouldn’t want them to be raised in a terrible environment that would screw them up, you know? And I am always putting myself at risk.” Memories of her own childhood came flooding back into her, but Capricious shrugged it off quickly. “Anyway, thanks for the supplies. I got to go back to the Dowager Empress…” she then felt her stomach rumbled, and noticed she still had some of Duncan’s nuyens left. “After I get myself something to eat.”  
  
Ermine gave Capricious a wave as she turned to leave.

  
  
On her way back to Dowager Empress, after a satisfying meal, Capricious thought she heard the sounds of someone else’ footsteps close behind her. Once she stopped to she look behind her, with her whip ready to lash out, no one was there.  
  
As she turned back around and continued to walk, the sound of footsteps pacing faster behind her forced her to run into a sprint back to the ship. She slammed the door shut, which may had gotten her crew’s attention, but the first thing she did was run into Duncan’s room to leap into her brother’s arms.  
  
He was certainly caught off guard by her, but as soon as he could feel her body trembling as she held onto him tightly, he never expected for her to act so scared. Actually, he never saw her act this way before at all. “What happened, sis?” he asked, as he started to pet her unkempt bleached hair. She calmed down enough to let him go, but she didn’t leave.  
  
Instead, she gave him her bag with the supplies, and told him, “I thought… I was being followed.”  
  
Duncan frowned as he placed the bag down, to grab her shoulders. She couldn’t look him in the eyes, as she started to chew on her thumb. A habit that she developed during her time in prison no doubt. “You know you're not alone here, sis. And besides, I don’t think Kindly Cheng would be happy to hear that. She would probably send out some men to go hunt this person down.”  
  
“Maybe… I hope so… I would like that to be the case…” she muttered.  
  
“Breathe, Cap. You are going to be alright.”  
  
She forced herself to take a deep breath, and exhaled through her lips to ease her pounding heart. Unfortunately, her anxiety did not go away. “I… am going to my room. I will talk to you later, Duncan.”  
  
“Okay, sis… but expect me to come by to check on you.”  
  
“Right,” she simply answered, before leaving his room.  
  
—  
  
Duncan knocked on Capricious door, before letting himself in, to see her fumbling around in her sleep. It’s clear to him that she was suffering from her nightmares, as it becoming way too common lately. He then reached out to touch her forehead, which woke her up with a start. She stared at him in silence, then turned away from him, as she pulled the sheet back over her body.  
  
Duncan gave her a pat on the arm, before he left her room.  
  
He then climbed up the stairs to enter Isobel’s room, while she was jacked into the Matrix. She looked at Duncan briefly, before bringing her focus back on something in the cyber world. “I will be with you in a second, Duncan,” she spoke, which brought Gobbet out of her room.  
  
“Wait, Gun Show’s here? Hey, buddy!” She chuckled before giving him a gentle jab on his arm. “How are you doing?”  
  
Duncan forced out a chuckle briefly. “I am okay… but, I need to ask you two a favor, if you don’t mind.”  
  
“What sort of favor?” Isobel asked.  
  
“Listen, Cap said she was being followed on her way back to the ship, so I am asking you two to keep watch over her whenever she goes out.”  
  
Gobbet frowned at the mention of the stalker as she turned to Isobel on the monitor. “I see…” Her lips pursed as her rats squeaked from her pockets.  
  
Duncan glanced between the two girls, before he realized they know something. “Did the same thing happen to you too?”  
  
While Isobel was silent, Gobbet huffed out a sigh. “There will be creeps out and about here in the slums, Gun Show, so it’s no surprise that Seattle would had encountered a stalker. Is she okay?”  
  
Duncan raised up his hand to his lightly bearded chin as his expression turned into a scowl. “She is, but the fact that having a stalker is no big surprise here, it makes me wonder if there had been any reports on missing people.”  
  
“There are,” Isobel chimed in. “But, there has been no news about anyone that has gone missing being found. Kindly has the Yellow Lotus on watch over Heoi, but unfortunately, it seems that they have been having a hard time catching the kidnappers. Whoever these kidnappers are, they seem to aim for people that are homeless, but it’s still odd to see people simply disappear without a trace.”  
  
Duncan ran his hand over his face, before huffing out a heavy sigh. “Fan-fucking-tastic,” he muttered, before Gobbet gave him another a light jab with a smile.  
  
“Don’t worry, Seattle will be safe with us. Trust me.”  
  
Duncan could only nod, before he left the girls. Once they exchanged glances, Gobbet returned to her room, while Isobel continued to explore the Matrix.


	13. Linger Longer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Capricious makes some choices that would no doubt cause problems in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A self indulgent chapter, in disguise as an attempt to explore relationships, and character insight. Full regrets.

Over hot wings, fries, and sandwiches, Capricious was having a fun time hanging with both Isobel and Gobbet at a nearby restaurant.  
  
Though Duncan did ask the girls to watch over his sister, they didn’t think of it as anything else than a fun time with friends.  
  
At first, Gobbet wanted to challenge Capricious on how much wings they could eat, but Capricious turned it down since she wasn’t feeling so good today. Instead, she decided on a simple sandwich, much to Gobbet’s disappointment. “One day we have to compete though, Seattle,” she said.  
  
Capricious chuckled. “One day… but, I will totally win the challenge.”  
  
“Confident, eh? We will see. I’ll bet you fifty nuyen for it.”  
  
Capricious scoffed. “A hundred.”  
  
There was a gleam in Gobbet’s eye as she grinned. “Two hundred and fifty.”  
  
Capricious paused, before she nodded in agreement. The two shook hands on it, which only made Isobel shake her head with a small smile playing on her lips.  
  
“So, Cap, how did you become a decker?” Isobel asked.  
  
Capricious took a sip of her soykafe, before she answered. “It was because of Raymond. He insisted that I should do something with my youth, and gave me a book. With that single book, I became enamored to literature in general, but thing is, physical copies of books can fall apart. Once I found a how to guide on using computers, decking, and the likes, from a friend who does that sort of thing for a living, I learned how to create a board from scratch, which was mostly junk that I found in trash bins, or old computers.”  
  
“Much like Izz,” Gobbet said.  
  
Capricious chuckled as she nodded her head towards Isobel. “I didn’t exactly have enough nuyen to buy a decent board at the time, but I did what I had to, and salvaged what I could find. Eventually, I got my own computer, as terrible as it was, and with that, I could find copies of books, and read them for as long as I wanted to, as many times as I wanted. They would never fall apart in my hands, like a physical copy would. Then, I became interested in hacking in games.”  
  
“What about when you were in prison? Did that stop you from hacking?” Gobbet asked.  
  
Capricious leaned back into her chair with a regretful sigh. “Unfortunately, yeah. They took away everything I owned, and so, I had to rely on physical copies of books again. It irritated me, but I couldn’t do anything about it.”  
  
“The fact you couldn’t access digital copies of books, bothered you more than what they took from you?” Isobel spoke up, with a perked brow.  
  
Capricious shrugged. “Yeah… I mean… again, physical copies don’t last very long.” She paused for a moment. “Then again, so does material things in general. Besides, there were things that were worse than losing everything I owned…”  
  
Capricious grew surprisingly quiet all of a sudden, which got on Gobbet’s nerves as she really wanted to know. “Such as…?”  
  
Capricious gave her a grin. “Prison fights, and the likes.”  
  
—  
  
Once they returned to the Dowager Empress together, Capricious felt happy that there were no signs of that stalker on the way. Isobel and Gobbet returned to the upper part of the ship, while Capricious decided to pay Racter a visit once again. To her surprise, he was standing next to the stairs, wearing neither his coat or gloves.  
  
Was he taking a break from his work for once, she wondered as she took a look around the workshop. It was quite lifeless, and silent, leaving the sounds of the creaking ship to fill the air. She then turned to the door where Gaichu lives, to realize it was left open, and no sight of the ghoul himself as she walked up to it.  
  
“Gaichu is currently on a hunt,” Racter spoke up before she could ask.  
  
Capricious stared at him, before turning to Koschei as he walked around the shop at a calm pace. “I see… taking a day off, Racter?”  
  
“There is never a ‘day off’ for me, my friend,” he answered, before he and Koschei fixed their gaze on her, making her heart skip a beat. “I am always working, even if it doesn’t look like it.”  
  
Capricious perked a brow as that didn’t seem like the case to her.  
  
With his usual smile, Racter dropped his gaze down to her cybernetic hand. “May I see your hand?” he asked, pointing at it.  
  
Capricious didn’t question him as she raised up her hand for him to take. She couldn’t feel his hand over hers, as every feeling she had was lost once it was replaced. It took some time for her to get used to it, by testing her strength every time she held something like a cup, or a delicate object in her grip. More often than not, she relied on her left hand instead, until she eventually got used to using both hands.  
  
He seemed to have notice that she wasn’t reacting as he closed and opened the metal fingers, then pressed his thumb against the palm of her hand. Racter then turned it over a few times, noticing the dents and scratches carved into the metal. He clicked his tongue out of displeasure, before he placed a hand on her elbow, which made her flinch.  
  
Racter’s bared fingers felt like there were no boundaries between them anymore for Capricious. Not that Racter seemed to understand the meaning of it, considering how often he wraps his arm around her neck to bring her attention to something during a mission. Then there were the moments he whispered in her ear which always sent chills up her spine. Why him, she thought before cursing at herself. Is it because of how he speaks to her during their conversations? The friendly-ish manner he carried before revealing his true colors? Not that he hasn’t kept up the facade, it’s just it’s becoming more obvious to her whenever he relishes in Koschei’s slaughter.  
  
What questionable taste she has, to find herself drawn to a man that acts like such a gentleman, but is clearly a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She chuckled to herself, which caught Racter’s attention.  
  
Instead of questioning her laughter, he told her, “This hand of yours is simple in design.” He then let go of her elbow, to take hold of both of her hands. She noticed how calloused his hands are from years of working in robotics, and how warm they felt. “If you wish,” he continued, “I can make you something better.”  
  
Capricious smiled at thought. “I would like to see what you can come up with, Racter. If I can take a guess, you must had something planned already.”  
  
Racter looked at her with a wry smile, before he let go of her hands. Capricious found herself rather saddened that she was no longer in his grasp, but was eager to follow him as he approached his work terminal. (If she could, she wouldn’t mind following him until the ends of the earth, but she couldn’t abandon her friends, nor her brother that easily.)  
  
Racter pulled out Capricious’ bent chair, before he grabbed his own to sit on. Koschei took his spot next to Racter, eyeing Capricious as she sat down on the surprisingly comfortable cushion. “Come closer, my friend,” Racter said, beckoning her with a wave of his hand.  
  
She thought she was already close enough as it is, but she didn’t mind sitting closer to him if he is asking her to. However, he wanted to her to sit even closer, until there was no long any space between them, making Capricious fidget in her chair as she tried to keep her distance.  
  
Once he brought up images of a variety of designs, Racter was quick to wrap his arm around Capricious’ shoulders to keep her close and see what had he created for her. It took her a moment to focus on the screen instead of him, and became in awe of the strange, alien like, monstrous designs of what could be her hand. Some of them reminded her of the skeleton structure of a metahuman body, while others look like it was nightmares brought to life.  
  
With a smile, she pointed at one image in particular of thin fingers, with claws in the place of finger tips. The way they were bent and curled reminded her of Gaichu’s and Ku Feng’s clawed hands. So creepy yet fascinating, and would no doubt be helpful if she needs to defend herself.  
  
As she turned to Racter, she froze up, as her lips nearly met his. Capricious looked into his eyes, as if he was waiting for her in anticipation.  
  
Possibly her only chance.  
  
And she took it without a second thought.  
  
She found herself clinging onto the fabric of his shirt, though it was a simple kiss that felt like it lasted for more than a few seconds.  
  
When she pulled herself away, she stared at Racter, as he seemed not only content, but amused.  
  
Then it hit her.  
  
Capricious felt shame poured down onto her mind and body, as she buried her head into his shoulder to hide her reddened cheeks. “I… I’m sorry,” she said.  
  
With a smile still on his lips, he wrapped her in a hug. “There is no room for regrets here, my friend. You gave me the answer I needed.”  
  
Capricious frowned, but she knew it. He was testing her. He must had been all this time, to see what sort of reaction he will get. She let out a huff as her grip on his shirt tightened. “Is it selfish of me… to want you by our side… my side… for as long as possible…?” she whispered.  
  
Racter chuckled as he ran his hand through her unkempt bleached hair. He could see her dark roots growing, hiddened away beneath the white strands. “It’s a natural feeling, my friend. One that no one can hold against you.”  
  
Capricious let out a snort as she nuzzled her face against him. She could hear Koschei’s feet scratch against the metal floor right behind his creator.  
  
Racter released her from his arms as she finally decided to let him go. She gave him a shy but genuine smile, before glancing at the screen. “I really want that one,” she told him, bringing his attention back to their earlier subject.  
  
“A fine choice, my friend…” he replied as he sat back into his chair. “So, do you wish to do it with or without anesthetics?”  
  
“Um… I prefer not to feel pain at all, Racter, when it comes to operations.”  
  
“Very well.” He let out a huff, and if she had to assume one thing, he was disappointed that he couldn’t attempt the replacement with a fully aware and awake Capricious.  
  
Which only made her laugh.  
  
“Disappointed, Racter?” she asked. “I am sure the operation itself will make you more than happy, to make up for it. Just let me know when you have everything you need to replace my hand.”  
  
“Oh, I already have the tools,” he replied, giving her a devilish smile that sent her chills.  
  
What a good friend to have, she thought as she chewed on her lips. What a reliable ally. What questionable taste she has in metahumans.  
  
—  
  
Capricious felt groggy and an utter mess as she woke up from her slumber. As she slowly got up, she could feel the soft fabric of her bed sheet under her right hand.  
  
Surprised, she raised up her now clawed like hand up to her face, with a new brace on her wrist. She gave a shaky laugh as the memory of everything before the operation was as clear as day, but anything afterward was a blur.  
  
As she curled the fingers from her pinky to thumb, she began to admire Racter’s craftsmanship. Very well done, but she shouldn’t be surprised. He is a professional after all.  
  
She felt a bit too exhausted to get out of bed, so she decided to go back to sleep for the time being. Capricious would thank Racter eventually, but not now.  
  
—  
  
Outside Capricious’ room is a very upset, very bitter Duncan.  
  
When Racter called for him to his workshop, he didn’t expect to find Capricious passed out in her chair, with her right arm outstretched with a new cyber hand. Before he could get up in Racter’s face, Koschei intervened with it’s weapons splayed out.  
  
That wouldn’t had stopped Duncan, but without a word, Racter waved his hand over to Capricious, to remind the orc that he has no control over his sister.  
  
That every decision she made up until now was of her own choice, and hers alone.  
  
A realization that shook Duncan down to his core.  
  
—  
  
Racter found himself listening to a song that Capricious sang in her dazed state as he operated on her.  
  
Though her feelings were indeed true, he could not feel the same for her.  
  
But there was something that started to bother him as he worked on her hand.  
  
How unpleasant the thought was, to lose Capricious to someone that can return her feelings, instead of being his partner. Even if it is a low chance, it’s still a chance. One that he loathes to accept.  
  
The sound of Koschei’s limbs hitting the metal, as if to pierce through it, echoed in the workshop.


	14. Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Capricious is still human, despite everything. Her conflicted feelings are starting to become too heavy for her, even though she is just trying her best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING - Mentions of sex, and sensitive content.
> 
> I've been struggling for the past few days to fix this one up, and though I don't feel satisfied with the result, I am going to put this one up because I want to complete the story. The next chapter may also be a rough one, but writer's block isn't going to stop me. Sorry for any mistakes, and inconsistencies. I am treating this story separate from "Capricious" though I did reference a few things here and there, and the condition Capricious suffers from still applies even to this story. I also decided to put little bit more into Cap's past experiences in here, and may make her continue to suffer in future chapters.
> 
> Thanks for giving this a shot, and hope you folks take it easy. Enjoy!

Capricious stood before Isobel’s behemoth of a computer, staring at the bright blue screen, while the decker tapped away at her keyboard, bringing up various informations and sites about kidnappings.

On her way up here, Capricious noticed that Duncan wasn’t in his room, which worried her. Is he wondering around Heoi by himself? He is putting himself at risk with the stalkers running around, but then again, she knows he can still put a good fight. She had seen him taken a group of thugs by himself before, and during their missions, that hasn’t changed.

But there is only so much a person can take, she thought.

Gobbet nudged her shoulder into Capricious’ arm, to bring her attention back to the screen. As if she read her mind, she said, “Gun Show will be all right. He didn’t leave the Dowager Empress with just his fists. Actually, he brought Gaichu out with him.”

Gaichu is with Duncan? That’s a surprise. But, why, she wondered. Maybe they both are out there looking for the stalker themselves.

Or maybe there is another reason.

Capricious looked down at her cybernetic hand. After the operation, she believed she had felt Duncan carrying her, but she wasn’t sure. The anesthetics that Racter gave her was so strong, that she wasn’t sure what's real anymore for a little while.

A feeling that she was too familiar with during her time in prison.

But she will ask Racter later.

“From what I’ve gathered on the BBS,” Isobel spoke up, “there have been kidnappings of several shadowrunners. Specifically, leaders themselves.”

Capricious blinked. “Wait, really? Why?”

Isobel shrugged as she leaned back into her chair. “I don’t know. It’s been happening to some big shot leaders, that apparently became too famous for their own good.”

Capricious pursed her lips as the color from her face drained. She really shouldn’t had given Law those metadata. “I-I see… so that explains why they tried to capture me.”

Gobbet let out a soft grunt as she crossed her arms and frowned. “I think… there is more to it than that,” she said, as she recalled the surgical room. “I mean, yeah, you are pretty well known here in Heoi, but, if they really wanted to kill you, they could had just done it already…”

Capricious stared at Gobbet in horror.

Gobbet forced out a chuckle as she realized that she scared the poor woman, then gave her a hard pat on the back. “Well, you’re still alive! You should count yourself lucky!”

That didn’t ease Capricious’ anxiety, but the slap brought her back to her senses. “Right… so… what do we now? Wait and see?”

“There isn’t much we can do, Capricious,” Isobel answered as she turned her chair to face the ladies. “So, yeah… we just have to wait and see.”

Capricious wasn’t sure what to say. She stood in the room for moment, thinking about what they could do, but, to find a solution for a problem as big as this is almost impossible. With a defeated sigh, she gave the girls a nod, and gave them her thanks before she left them.

  
Gobbet and Isobel exchanged looks, before the decker returned to her computer.

“I can’t blame Seattle for being scared…” Gobbet said.

“We should do something about this,” Isobel replied. “Maybe… I can look a bit further into this, and figure out what we can do to help her.”

“Maybe lure out the people related to killings, and take them out before they could do anymore damage?”

Isobel shrugged. “Maybe… but… that would put Capricious in danger.”

  
Capricious wasn’t feeling well enough to go down the workshop to speak to Racter as she had originally planned. Besides, maybe it would be best to give that man some space for once. Sure, he doesn’t seem all too bothered by her visits and questions, but, he has work to do. Always has, and always will be, not that she minds. It’s would be a shame to keep a man like that away from his work for too long, she believes.

Once she collapsed onto her bed, Capricious raised up her cyber hand up to her face, eyeing every detail of it. It looks flimsy, but after a couple of practices on some dummies, they were surprisingly stronger than she had originally thought. The nails themselves were also quite sharp, to the point that she accidently tore her pillow open with one swift swipe. She might have to ask Racter to at least make it so that the hand can change between normal and clawed mode, but she doesn’t want to be under the influence of anesthesia again so soon.

She could barely remember what happened after the operation, but she swore she thought she was being carried by Duncan to bring her to her room. There might had been some embarrassing things that she could had done as well, but it’s probably better for her to not remember, and let Racter keep those things to himself.

As she laid her hand back down, Capricious stared the bottom of the top bunk in silence. The feeling of exhaustion started to pushed down on her, forcing her to close eyes, which she struggled to keep open.

She then felt something pull her into her bed, dragging her down into a world of stacked up houses built like towers, fences covered in blood and rust, and the sight of lost wanderers, kowtowing before some unseen being hidden behind a door.

Capricious landed hard with her back against the ground. She stared at the crimson sky, with no sight of the sun or the moon.

This world may as well be another home for her, she thought.

Once she got back on her feet to take a look at her surroundings, she noticed she was caged in a large room surrounded by bars. Each one of the bars was covered in barbed wires weathered down into rust, much like the rest of the world.

She then froze as she heard a familiar voice singing a tune that echoed in the room. “Carmen,” he sang. “Oh my sweet little darling… my love…”

Capricious forced herself to turn to a man with long ears and a slender figure. His face was delicate. Arguably handsome even. His emerald eyes were as beautiful as ever.

As well as the butterfly knife he held, with designs of orchids etched into the handle.

“Jason…” she called out.

The man gave her a smile. A wicked grin that revealed rows of straight white sharp teeth. He approached her slowly, while playing with the knife in his hands. “I miss you, Carmen… You should had stayed with us…”

Capricious slowly backed away from him, only for her prison uniform to get caught in the barbed wire. Before she could even break free, the wires wrapped themselves around her arms, waist, and neck, pressing themselves against her skin. She didn’t dare to struggle against them. She could only laugh at her distress.

She watched Jason approach her, playing with the knife in his hand. “So you’ve finally realized there is nothing that can keep you away from me anymore,” he said, eyeing her up. “It’s almost… sad. The chase was rather fun. Seeing you run was exhilarating. Like hunting a rabbit in the wild.” He chuckled briefly, then pressed the knife against her abdomen.

Capricious sucked in a deep breath through clenched teeth, as she attempted to kick Jason away from her, making the thorns tear into her flesh. Her uniform became stained in red liquid, but she did not care.

The sight of Jason holding onto his stomach, with the knife no longer in his hand, made her smile. As much as the wires hurt, she reached her leg out to trap the weapon under her boot. “Come on, ‘sweetie’,” she called out to him with a forced smile. “You want me, don’t you? Well, here I am!”

Jason turned to her with smile so wide, the ends of his lips reached up to his ears. As soon he lunged towards her to plant a kiss, Capricious sunk her teeth into his bottom lip, then tore off enough skin to make him bleed. The elf backed away while crying out in pain, which amused her. She then spat out the skin along with some of his blood mixed with her saliva.

What a vile taste, she thought. Not even Ku Feng would enjoy it. Maybe.

“Oh, Carmen… how naughty. To do something like that is only asking for punishment,” he said, before snapping his head to her.

Capricious felt her body stiffen as she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Sharp toothed mouths covered his entire face. He stumbled his way towards her, until he was inches away from her face once again. “No matter how far you will run,” his voice echoed into her ears, “no matter where you will hide… I will always find you, my dear, sweet Carmen!”

Every mouth opened up to engulf her face, making her see nothing but darkness.

  
Until her eyes opened up to the sight of the upper bunk bed. Capricious realized she was hyperventilating as her heart raced within her chest. With slow deep breaths, Capricious sat on her bed, and noticed that her sheets, shirt, and her bed were torn apart.

But no wounds. Just scars and sweat.

She cursed at herself as memories of that man came rushing back to her. Jason. What a good man he was, at first. Then, he became possessive. But, those were the sort of people she became drawn to during her time in prison. The dangerous types. There were something about Jason in particular that had took hold of her at first. She doesn’t know what it was exactly anymore, since she tries to forget about her time in prison nowadays, but she wondered, could it be the same thing that made her fall for Racter?

Maybe.

But, there is no need to compare one man to another, as they all are different in some way. And Jason is no longer apart of her life, so what’s the point of thinking about old flames?

Capricious bit her lip as she remembered the kiss she planted on Racter. Despite the fact he was testing her, she didn’t mind it much. It might had been her only chance, so she had to take it before she would had lived with regret. Is she ashamed of it? A little bit. But is she happy? Definitely.

Especially since she came out of that workshop with a new hand.

The same new hand that she used to tear her shirt in her sleep.

No regrets, she thought with a smile. No regrets at all.

—

After a shower and a change of clothes, Capricious walked out of her room feeling a little better. From the sound of heavy footsteps pacing, it was clear to her that Duncan has returned. Worried, she knocked on his door.

No response.

She knocked again, but still nothing.

“Bro?” she called out. “Are you okay?”

She stood there in silence for a moment, waiting.

Nothing.

After a few more harder knocks, the door finally opened.

Before she could speak, Duncan raised up his hand over her face. “Stop, Carmen,” he spoke, freezing her on the spot. He never called her by her real name, unless he was really angry about something. And that something is most likely related to her. “Leave me alone. If you have a mission, go take someone else with you. I can’t be bothered to handle anything right now.”

With that, he shut the door, and clicked the lock.

Capricious was speechless. She looked up towards the stairs, but something within her didn’t want to turn to the girls for this. As she walked away from the door, she stared down at the hatch.

Once again, she finds herself in the workshop, this time, sitting quietly next to the stairs, while staring at the mechanical arms on the wall as they went to work on whatever Racter was working on.

As they came to a stop, Capricious noticed Koschei standing next to her, eyeing her with his body tilted to one side. She simply stared at him back.

No coos. No waves. Just a blank stare.

“It’s quite late, my friend,” Racter said. “I didn’t think you were going to visit me today.”

“Sorry,” she replied as she turned away from Koschei, to bury her head into her arms.

Racter quickly noticed something was wrong, from her lack of energy and enthusiasm she had often express whenever she comes down here. When he turned to her, she seemed utterly lifeless. Apathetic.

He frowned at the sight of it. “Are you suffering from regrets?” he asked in a calm manner. “Want me to take back the hand that I created for you?”

She shook her head. “Why would I want to give back something that I have wanted in the first place?”

“Then tell me what brings you down here.”

She paused, before looking at her hand. She then got up to approach him, and placed it down on the table. “I… wanted to know if you can make it possible… that I don’t rip into everything I touch with these fingers.”

Racter stared at it for a moment, before he took it into his gloved hands. The feeling of his warm touch made Capricious shudder. He looked it over a few times, while pressing his thumb against the brace on her wrist. To her surprise, the hand clicked and whirred as it started to resemble something similar to a normal hand. Once he let go, he looked up at her with a smile. “I already did,” he replied. “As marevelous as they are, taking care of tasks with those clawed fingers would be tricky for you, so I made it possible for you to change it as you please. Just press your fingers against your brace, and there you have it. You can even control it mentally, with enough practice.”

Capricious stared at her cyber hand in awe, then turned to Racter with a wide smile, revealing her imperfect teeth.

One that he had preferred to see over the emotionless face she had brought earlier.

“You’re a brilliant man, Racter. Thank you!” Without a second thought, she embraced him into a tight hug.

Koschei’s engines roared from behind her, but Racter was quick to settle him down with a look. “Was the kiss not enough for you, my friend?” he asked with a wicked grin.

Capricious let out a snort before she pulled herself away. “Sorry… I just… I guess I also needed some sort of comfort. I don’t regret the kiss, but, I don’t think you care about that.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” he said, before he took her cyber hand again to cusp it between his own. “Now that I understand you better, it’s clear to me that you are indeed driven by your own desires.”

Capricious perked a brow. “So if I didn’t kiss you… what would had happened?”

Racter lifted his eyes to stare directly into hers. His gaze was as cold as ever, despite his smile. “Nothing. If you didn’t kiss me, nothing would had changed between us, but the fact that you wanted a replacement was enough for me to know that you trust me.”

“So… the kiss was for…?”

“To know if you truly did have feelings for me. Love is rather complicated, isn’t it? Some would say it’s a drive for a person to reproduce, while others say it’s a beautiful emotion to experience, regardless if they have sex or not.”

Capricious pursed her lips as memories of her time in prison came back to her. Jason.

Racter had noticed she had become lost in thought from the vacant look in her eyes. Without a word, he lifted her hand up to his lips to plant a kiss, bringing her attention back to him.

Capricious retreated it quickly as she felt her abdomen tingle. A very familiar sensation. A craving she had fought against for a long time during prison.

It became worse after the hysterectomy, when her hormones went crazy for as long as she could remember. That’s why she was so drawn to Jason, she thought. But, it’s what made him overly attached to her, after their one night stand, to the point that she couldn’t handle him anymore.

Racter noticed that she was clutching onto her shirt tightly, while she slowly backed away from him. A smile crept on his lips as he pointed at it. “Tell me, my friend,” he said, once again getting her attention, “why did you have a hysterectomy?”

A disease, she thought. One that she couldn’t bring herself to say out loud to answer his question. “It doesn’t matter why,” she replied instead. “I had one.”

The sound of Koschei’s limbs click against the metal ground took her by surprise, but she wasn’t scared of him. She only grinned.

“Maybe one day I will tell you the truth, but not anytime soon, Racter.”

Racter chuckled as he leaned back against his chair. “It’s only fair, considering you know enough about me, my friend,” he said.

Capricious blinked as those words became etched into her head. She then gave him a sneer before she gripped onto the handle on the stairs. “Sure. Anyway, I am going to go, so have a good night, Racter. Thank you for your time.”

“Rest well, my friend,” he said with a smile.

She then stopped halfway up once she remembered something. “By the way, did Duncan come here after the operation?”

“Yes he did. In fact, I called him down to bring you back to your room.”

“Oh… um… did… he argue with you or…?”

Racter waved his hand in the air to dismiss the question. “Doesn’t matter, my friend. Go rest.”

Capricious frowned. “I need to know, Racter. He was upset earlier, and something tells me it might had been because of me.”

Racter ran his hand over his silver hair as he thought about it for a moment. “Related or not, it should not matter to your brother about what you do with your life. I told him before that you are your own person, and that he has no say in what you can and can not do. Neither do I, or anyone else.”

That would had certainly pushed Duncan over the edge, she thought. Capricious wasn’t sure if Racter had done it on purpose or not, but there was nothing she could do anyway. For now, Capricious has an upset brother that even she could not calm down.

With that in mind, she continued her way up to retreat into her room.  
—

Once the sound of her footsteps could be heard from up above, Gaichu opened the door and approached Racter while he continued to work. “Do you plan on tearing the siblings apart, or is all just a huge coincidence?” he asked, making Racter stop and stare at his terminal with a wide grin.

“What makes you say that, Gaichu?” he asked, not bothering to face the ghoul.

“Can you see the rift between the siblings? Or are you really that ignorant that you haven’t realized that you are influencing Capricious’ thoughts and emotions?”

Racter tapped his fingers against his desk, while Koshei’s engine roared. “Are you accusing me of something that I truly do not have any control over, my ghoulish friend?”

“Then it’s really a coincidence…”

“I believe if Capricious really wanted to, she would had stopped seeing me long ago. Maybe it’s because of her curiosity, or her attachment to me that makes her keep coming back. However, isn’t it true that she visits you as well? Almost every time she visits me, she goes to see you, as if she has grown a liking to you as well.”

Gaichu huffed. “That may be true… but I can tell she sees you in a different light. While we spend time talking about various philosophies and history, I notice that she acts rather at peace with me, despite my condition. However, with you, I can tell from the tone of her voice that she is more than willing to give you whatever you need, if you only ask for it. Maybe even sacrifice herself for you, if she could.”

Racter scowled at the thought of that. “Having her alive is much more important to me, Gaichu, more than you think. While she has certainly been very helpful to me, her honesty and her kindness are… well, refreshing to say the least. In a world like this, it’s hard for people like you and I to find a trustworthy person, that is willing to help out of the goodness of their hearts, no?”

“So you are using her trust to benefit you in your goals?”

Racter huffed as he shook his head. “I am not manipulating our little friend, Gaichu. What may happen all depends on her, and the people around her. I don’t have any sort of ulterior motive, and I only wish to see what she could do. After all, she made sure you will be kept alive back at Whampoa, and approached the situation as peaceful as possible in the end. An admirable feat for someone who seemed so apprehensive at first.”

Gaichu was silent as he remembered that time. Despite Duncan’s obvious discomfort at the sight of him, Capricious fought to have him by their side, only because she wanted to give him the benefit of doubt. He smirked as he then realized that her kindness was surprisingly genuine whenever they spoke.

However, the bond between the siblings is starting to crack even further now, compared to then. It’s becoming obvious to him, and no doubt to the others as well.

Except to Racter, apparently.

“If what you say is true, Racter… then what do you think would happen to the siblings, if they fall apart?”

Racter shrugged. “I don’t know… in fact, I am not sure if I would be happy to see them fall apart. The way they work together is beyond my understanding, to the point that I am rather impressed by them. An orc man and a human woman, related not by blood, but by a bond over their troubled pasts, and a father figure… Poetic, is it not?”

Gaichu paused. “I suppose it is in a way.” He then turned on his heel to return to his room. “However, you should realize that what you told her earlier wasn’t fair for her. That it’s only fair for you to know about the reason behind her hysterectomy, though you already told her enough about yourself. You only did it because you wanted her to know about you, and still did, after she unintentionally mentioned her surgery. Either you don’t realize it, or you do, but you’re putting unnecessary pressure on her.”

Racter let out a snort, while Koschei hid away back under his table. “Maybe I am… but, I promise you, everything else is not due to my influence.”

Gaichu could not believe his words, but something in his head told him that he wasn’t being dishonest. However, he wasn’t sure to trust a man so devoid of emotional attachment. A condition that Racter considers as an advantage.

How Capricious has fallen for him is beyond Gaichu. He could only hope that she is truly making her decisions for herself, and not for anyone else, especially for Racter.

 


	15. Pin Cushion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Capricious and crew decides to go after the kidnappers, as Kindly Cheng asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING - Torture and violence. (It's worse than a butterfly needle.)
> 
> After having no power, then having no internet the pass few days, I just wanted to get this posted as soon as possible. Mistakes and all. I just... really want to wrap this part up... until I started to have more ideas. Blech.

Capricious stared at her mission computer screen, rereading the message over and over sent to her by Kindly Cheng. A job, to lure out and kill one of the kidnappers that have been taking shadowrunners away. And she is supposed to be the bait to lure them out, considering her infamy.  
  
Despite how much he resented her, Duncan accepted to be apart of the team, along with Gobbet, and Isobel.   
  
As back up, Racter and Gaichu would be there as well, if things happened to go wrong.   
  
This mission would require all of them to protect Capricious, though it was her fault that she was one who caused this in the first place. Thinking that it wouldn’t hurt to give some information to a person in exchange for nuyen.   
  
No, she knew better. It’s just through greed that she did it.   
  
—   
  
When they arrived to the location which was a large abandoned building, Capricious alone stepped forward. With her arms spread, and a smile on her lips, she called out to the kidnappers themselves. “I’m here! The one and only Capricious!”   
  
After a moment of no response, a person wearing a dark grey hoodie approached her. “You’re not alone, Capricious. It’s obvious.”   
  
And without another word, men burst out from the doors to surround her.   
  
Duncan was the first to throw himself with the assault rifle in hand, taking out a few men, with Gobbet close behind, tossing a few bolts of energy at others. From behind them, Isobel aimed her grenade launcher at a group that attempted to run, only for their legs to be blasted off by a single grenade.   
  
Gaichu could hear the chaos, while he and Racter hid themselves behind a collapsed wall on the upper floor.   
  
In the center of it all, Capricious used her clawed hand to slash at people’s throats when they came to close, and whipped away at anyone else that would try to grab her.   
  
However, she didn’t expect a flash bomb to sneak it’s way between everyone’s feet, blinding her and the others. While she tried to pull herself together, someone grabbed her from behind, with a rag over her mouth and nose, forcing her to inhale the chloroform.   
  
“Cap?!” Duncan shouted, trying to blink away the stars before his eyes.   
  
He could not see her in the chaos anymore. Enraged, he continued to take down the men one after the other, until he would find his sister.   
  
Which was impossible, considering that Racter saw her being taken away by a singular person. He gave Gaichu a tap on the shoulder and told him, “Follow me.”   
  
—   
  
As soon as they burst through a back door in the building, both Racter and Gaichu heard the sounds of a tire burning against the pavement, before a van nearly ran into them. Like a rabid animal, Koschei quickly leapt onto the side of the van, digging his limbs into the flimy metal body, and forced his way to the driver’s seat.   
  
Racter cursed before he burst into a sprint to chase after the van, with Gaichu close behind. He struggled to keep his link to Koschei, only to feel a jolt up his spine, forcing him to stop. Gaichu turned to see if he was all right, but Racter simply shouted at him to continue, as he pulled out a PDA to get in contact with the others.   
  
Gaichu did so without argument. He eventually stopped when he smell engine smoke and machine oil mix with blood. A metahuman’s blood that wasn’t Capricious’.   
  
He would had examined the object closer, but he didn’t want to lose track of the scent.   
  
More than likely, it was Koschei, lying on the pavement, damaged and lifeless.   
  
—   
  
Capricious woke up with a cry of anguish, as she felt something hit her in her right shoulder. As she looked at it, it was a nail. Above her, was a man, holding a hammer, with a twisted smile of utter pleasure. “Hello,” he cooed. “Doesn’t it feel good?”   
  
Capricious growled as she tried to move, but not only did the pain in her shoulder forced her to stop, she quickly realized she was strapped onto a table. She took a look around to see a variety of tools hanging on the walls around them, as well as jars, tubes, and all sorts of questionable objects here and there. She then turned to face the man with a bead of sweat rolling down her face.   
  
The man chuckled as he brushed her bleached hair to the side to get a better look. From the moment they made eye contact, his bright green eyes reminded her of Jason.   
  
But this man, whoever he is, is not him. Jason was an elf. This man is a troll.   
  
“What’s wrong? Have you fallen in love at first sight? That’s usually what people in your situation usually tell me,” he said with a snort. “But, I know it’s a lie. It’s always a lie.”   
  
Sounds like he needs to visit a therapist to talk about those issues, she thought, while biting her tongue down to not say it out loud. Instead, she asked, “What’s your deal? Are you related to the kidnappings of shadowrunners?”   
  
The man chuckled as he walked away from the table. “Yes, indeed I am… but, for as why, don’t bother asking. It’s just what we do, to those that think they are so great, they are basically untouchable. While you seem like a modest woman, you are still well known, Capricious, for your acts of kindness, and your jobs.”   
  
“Well curse me for having a heart of gold,” she said with a smirk.   
  
“Oh, I am not going to curse you, my friend.”   
  
Capricious scowled from the way he called her his friend. “Hey, don’t call me that! Only my friends call me that! Well, one friend, but still!”   
  
The troll chuckled as he picked up a box of nails. “Really now? Tell me, who are they?”   
  
Capricious growled as she saw him place the box next to her head. “It’s none of your business!” she yelled even louder.   
  
The troll mocked fear before he opened the box to pick up a rather long nail. “You seem defensive, Capricious, but it’s not important anyway.” He hovered the nail over her right leg, and pressed it down against her upper thigh. Once he raised up the hammer above his head, he slammed it down into her body hard, making her cry out in pain from the top of her lungs.   
  
Then started to give a shaky laugh.   
  
The troll looked at her with an arched brow. “Do you usually find this sort of thing funny?” he asked.   
  
Capricious shook her head as tears started to run down her face. “You literally nailed me, you prick! I don’t find it funny at all!”   
  
“Then why did you laugh?”   
  
“I don’t know! I just did!”   
  
“Right…” The troll looked down at her cyber hand with a frown. He looked at Capricious for a moment, before he pulled out another nail, and pressed the tip against the metal.   
  
Capricious sucked in a deep breath, before he slammed it down, making her cry out again, followed by bitter laughter.   
  
To his surprise, she could still move her hand. With a few more nails, he tried to break the thing apart, but he couldn’t. Despite the nails being jammed inside every finger, Capricious could still move them as if the nails were nothing but tiny needles in her cyber hand. Capricious wasn’t sure if she should be thankful to Racter, or hate him, for creating something that is difficult to destroy, but still make her feel pain.   
  
The troll huffed as he gave up on the hand, to pierce through another part of her body. “Torture is a fun hobby to take up on,” he said as if he was having a casual conversation with a friend. “You can hear your captive’s cry, and see how long they can last until they would break. Then comes the really good part: breaking their bones to make them stay awake, if they are close to unconsciousness. Are you going to pass out anytime soon?”   
  
Capricious could not hear his voice over the sound of her heart beating in her ears. However, she was still fully aware and awake of the situation.   
  
“I will take that as a maybe,” the troll continued, before slamming another nail down into her other hand.   
  
After a few more nails were punctured into her body, the troll was greeted by a woman that knocked on the door.   
  
Capricious couldn’t hear what they were saying, nor could she see them with how blurred her vision became. Her legs, arms, and torso had at least one or two nails through them, making her unable to move them much, even though she was free from the bindings that had kept her down. She was surprised she has not died yet, but some part of her wished she did.   
  
But the thought of leaving Duncan behind hurt her worse than the nails.   
  
With clenched teeth, she struggled to move her limbs, which caught the attention of the troll and the woman. The troll laughed at her, until she started to reach her left hand up to pull out the nail in that shoulder. He quickly grabbed a hold of her arm to yank it away, only to be splattered by blood as soon as he unintentionally helped her pull it out.   
  
The woman growled before she dug her fingers into Capricious’ wound, only to hear her laugh bitterly at the attempt and pain. Capricious then raised up her right hand to slash it across the woman’s throat, before being pinned down by the troll.   
  
Despite the pain, Capricious lunged towards the troll to clench her teeth into his neck, much like how Gaichu or Ku Feng would have done, and tore out his flesh as he pushed himself away.   
  
The troll backed from Capricious as soon as she planted her nailed feet onto the ground. She then rose up her right arm to release the whip within her brace, and slashed his head off with single swipe.   
  
Capricious looked down at the woman as she tried to crawl away from her, while holding onto her bleeding throat.   
  
She tried to take another step forward, but the pain became too much for her, and Capricious collapsed onto her knees, making the nails dig even deep into her body.   
  
It was stupid of her to even try to attempt to escape, but she wanted to see Duncan again.   
  
As tears began to stream down her face, Capricious fell backwards into the ground.   
  
She started to laugh bitterly before she became quiet.   
  
—   
  
Gaichu was able to find the van that Koschei punctured, and followed the scent of blood into a door. Once he pressed his ear against it, he heard the sound of footsteps, but he couldn’t be too sure if this is the right place.   
  
Unable to do much, he was forced to wait until Racter arrived with the rest of the crew behind him, as well as Koschei.   
  
Gobbet gave a low hum from the sight of the building. “This is one hell of a factory…”   
  
Duncan didn’t listen as he forced the back door of the van apart. Sure enough, there was some blood within the truck, but no sight of Capricious. He cursed as he slammed the door closed, and without hesitation, made his way up the door.   
  
Everyone tried to stop him, but their attempts failed when he shoved them to the side, and burst through the door with the assault rifle in hand.   
  
“Intruders!” someone yelled. “Sound the alarm!”   
  
Isobel huffed out an irritated sigh as she reloaded the grenade launcher. “Let’s go then…” she muttered, following the orc, along with Gobbet.   
  
Instead of going with them, Racter approached Gaichu. “Shall we?”   
  
Gaichu was silent as he sniffed the air. “I believe I know where she is.”   
  
While Gobbet, Isobel, and Duncan struggled against the large number of people that surrounded them, Racter followed Gaichu down various hallways, and stairs, taking out a few men that had tried to stop them.   
  
Eventually, Gaichu came to a stop as he could smell the heavy scent of iron that whiffed through a barely opened door. Horrified, he opened the door, to let Racter see what was behind it.   
  
A decapitated troll, a dead woman whose neck was cut open, and Capricious laying on the floor with nails punctured through her body. Racter carefully stepped over the woman, to kneel down before Capricious. Her clothes were stained with blood and sweat, and her eyes and lips were red and puffy. He pressed his gloved hand against her neck, and brought up a screen on his other hand.   
  
A weak heart beat, but a beat nonetheless.   
  
“She is alive…?” Gaichu asked as he approached them.   
  
“She is indeed,” Racter answered, while his mind was elsewhere. He lifted his hand away from her as he got up, and adjusted his coat. Koschei began to roar while his limbs scratched against the hard ground. “Watch over her, while I go on a search, Gaichu,” he said as he picked up the box of nails on the bed.   
  
“What about the others? They should know.”   
  
Racter said nothing as he left the room with Koschei.   
  
—   
  
Once the fire fight died down, Duncan grabbed onto one of the few survivors by the collar of their shirt, and pulled him close to his tusks. “Where is she?!” he yelled, making the man whimper in fright.   
  
“W-who?!”   
  
“Capricious! Where is my God damn sister, Capricious?!”   
  
The man stuttered as he tried to answer, only to be punched across the face.   
  
“Tell me!”   
  
“She is down stairs in the second basement! Locked behind a door with a troll! Can’t miss the screams-” Duncan snapped his neck before he could say anymore, leaving both Isobel and Gobbet speechless.   
  
He then made his way down, until he saw Gaichu standing outside the door. “She is still alive, however…” Gaichu said while lifting up his hand to point at the scene. “Well… you can see for yourself.”   
  
Duncan forced his way inside, only to stop as he saw Capricious laying on the ground. The sight of her made him afraid that she was dead, until Gaichu continued.   
  
“Racter had checked that she was still breathing.”   
  
Duncan growled as he ran towards his sister, but hesitated to touch her. Even Gobbet and Isobel didn’t know what to do.   
  
“Where did he go?” he asked, while trying not to raise his voice.   
  
Gaichu let out a heavy sigh as his shoulders slumped. “He is most likely looking for the person that had taken Capricious here in the first place.”   
  
Duncan looked down at his sister while he chewed on his lower lip. He then took off his goggles as he couldn’t hold back his tears anymore. “Go, Gaichu, and help him find the bastard. Gobbet, please come and help me take these things out.”   
  
“That’s risky, Gun Sh-” “Shut up and help me already!” he cried out.   
  
Isobel scowled at him, while Gobbet only let out a sigh before she reluctantly approached him. “Listen, I know you want those nails out, but it’s too damn risky, Duncan,” she explained while kneeling next to him. “But, I will do what I can to help her.”   
  
“Just… do something…” Duncan muttered as he placed a hand on Capricious’ forehead.   
  
Gaichu said nothing as he left them.   
  
Isobel could only watch in silence while hugging herself.   
  
—   
  
After tearing a man apart for information, Racter stood before a double door that was sealed by a keypad. Once he input the code, the door opened up to reveal four armed men shielding a heavily tattooed man behind them. With a smile on his lips, he watched Koschei launch a grenade into the room, blasting everyone in there apart, before his engines roared and he began to disembowel anyone left alive, except for the tattooed man.   
  
Once he made sure the room was cleared, Racter shut the door behind him, and pulled out a cigarette to light it up between clenched teeth. “Are you Cao?” he asked while exhaling out thick smoke.   
  
The man eyes shifted between him and Koschei. His legs were injured by the blast, forcing him to crawl away from them, but he knew there was no escape from this room. With a crooked grin, he cursed out at Racter.   
  
“Not the answer I was looking for,” he replied, while he allowed Koschei pin the man down, with his legs splayed out over his body. Racter held the cigarette between his lips to pull out the box of nails from his coat, then knelt down next to the man, staring directly into his eyes full of fear.   
  
Racter gave the man a smile before he held out a nail over his eye. “Are you the one who took Capricious away from us? Were you the one who gave us that ‘kidnapping mission’? Were you going to kill her?”   
  
The man stuttered as his eyes were fixed at the sharp end of the nail. Racter slowly lowered it down, making the man yell out, “Yes! Yes! It was me! I did it! I hate arrogant shadowrunners! Thinking they are so above it all, when in truth, they are just a bunch of filth! Getting their hands dirty for money!”   
  
Racter scoffed. “And you think you are a saint to kill them?”   
  
“Saint!?” The man laughed. “I am not a hypocrite, you moron! I just kill them because shadowrunners should know better than to be famous! They should stick their heads down in the mud, as the pigs they are. And that girl has no place in this world, shadowrunner or not!”   
  
Racter clicked his tongue. “Oh, that’s where you are wrong. Capricious belongs in this world, just like any other person, and while I agree that shadowrunners shouldn’t be so arrogant, I believe having them around makes things a little bit more interesting.” Racter then shrugged. “But, I digress.”   
  
As the man cried out for help, Koschei lifted up his leg to drive the nail directly into his eye.   
  
—   
  
As soon as the crew arrived to Heoi, everyone but Gaichu rushed into Chrome Alley for Ambrose’s help. He was shocked to see Capricious still breathing despite how many nails she had in her body. With a swig of alcohol, he told Duncan to place her on the medical table, and for all them to leave.   
  
“Let me get Crafty Xu here,” Gobbet spoke. “We can help you take care of Seattle.”   
  
“Fine,” Ambrose answered as he wheeled his way towards Capricious. He then noticed the nails stuck in her cyber hand that clearly was not his work.   
  
Racter was quick to notice he was about to touch it. “I hope you don’t mind, Doctor,” he said as he stepped forward to stop him, “but I would rather take care of that hand myself. It was created by me after all.”   
  
Ambrose narrowed his eyes at him, then shrugged. “If that’s what you want to do, that’s fine by me. Let’s just take things slow first. Everyone else has to leave so they don’t get in the way.”   
  
“But-” “Listen,” Ambrose interrupted Duncan, “it will be easier not to have so many people breathing down my neck, okay? Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”   
  
Without any further argument, Duncan huffed, and left the clinic, along with Isobel.   
  
—   
  
Capricious stared at the bottle of painkillers in her hand, prescribed to her by Ambrose. Despite the fact she didn’t want to rely on anything that wasn’t properly prescribed by an actual doctor, she had to take it to ease the pain and discomfort that wasn’t going to go away anytime soon.   
  
She growled as she opened the bottle, and swallowed a pill along with some water.   
  
Within seconds, it made her drowsy, but she barely felt any sort of pain anymore.   
  
Even if it was only temporary, she felt as if everything is actually okay. She just had to be careful to not get addicted to it.   
  
As soon as he entered her room to check up on her, Duncan knew she was out cold. He took the bottle away to place it on her table, and help her get comfortable on her bed. He then sat down next to her and clasped his hands together.   
  
He took in a deep breath, before he started to speak to himself. “I know I have been a hard ass, Cap… but, I’m worried. You’re the only person I have left, even if… even if I believe Raymond is alive. I just wish things could had been better for us. With our lives back - our identities back - we could go back to being normal people living a normal life… but, I know that is not for you. Never really was, anyway. But, seeing you like that… it hurts. And I don’t want to see you in pain like that again.”   
  
“I’ve suffered through worse, bro,” Capricious said as she placed a hand on his arm. He turned to her in surprise, but she was obviously half asleep with how her eyes lacked their usual shine. “This is… nothing…”   
  
Her hand slumped back down, and within seconds, she began to snore.   
  
Duncan chuckled briefly, before ran his hand over her hair. “Good night, sis.”   
  
—   
  
“It is surprisingly quiet in here, Racter,” Gaichu pointed out as he stepped out from his room.   
  
Racter chuckled as he laid back into his chair, staring at the motionless mechanical arms. “I won’t lie - I have been having a hard time focusing on my work.”   
  
“Is it because you don’t have Capricious to bounce your ideas off from?”   
  
Koschei let out a brief whirr as he hid beneath the desk, while Racter glanced at the ghoul from the corner of his eye briefly, before turning towards the terminal. “As long as she is alive, I shouldn’t worry. However, I suppose that since she is unable to visit, I found myself…” He paused as he couldn’t believe his own words. “Stumped…”   
  
Gaichu snickered while crossing his arms. “What a surprise. Aside from your occasional breaks, I had believed you could work without rest… but, in the end you’re still human. You still have to rely on sustenance to get by.”   
  
Racter frowned. “It’s an unfortunate truth, one that I hope to overcome one day… but until then, I suppose I have to do what I can to complete my goals…” He paused as he idly ran over his hand over Koschei’s chassis. “And Capricious has been a reliable person that had helped me accomplish a few already.”   
  
Gaichu remembered how Capricious persuaded him to go after his former allies from the Renraku. “Capricious has been helpful to us all. To lose someone like her would be very unfortunate, but that’s why we are there by her side. She trusts us all to protect her, and fight by her side until the end.”   
  
“‘Trust’.” Racter smirked. “A simple, yet good word to use for our relationship. A trustworthy ally, and a trustworthy friend.”   
  
“Or perhaps, a trustworthy companion that you would like to bed one day.”   
  
Racter blinked and turned to Gaichu. The ghoul couldn’t help himself but grin.   
  
“I am only joking,” he continued. “While I am sure that Capricious wouldn’t mind the idea herself, it’s not my place to speak of this. Honestly, I rather keep my distant whenever you two are together.” He then grasp onto the stair handle to make his way up. “If you would excuse me, I must take my leave to hunt. Have a pleasant night, Racter.”


	16. Admiration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It may not be the last time they saw each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... am not sure if I wish to continue. This originally was supposed to be the last chapter, but, something makes me want to write more. Still, I think it would be better to just leave it here for the time being, as I feel burnt out. I might come back to this again, but dunno. Anyway, take it easy folks!

“Has Capricious gotten better?” Ku Feng asked as she watched Gaichu tear out a metahuman’s arm.  
  
“Fortunately, yes,” he answered as he tucked the arm under his own. “At least, physically speaking, she is doing better. But, I believe that she is struggling mentally.”  
  
Ku Feng hummed as she picked up the metahuman to drain their blood. Once she took enough, she dropped the body back down, and looked up at the thick cloudy sky. The storm is getting worse, she thought.  
  
“I wish it was easy to forget,” she said. “But… it’s impossible. I tried to pretend everything is all right, but look at me now. I’m sucking blood from some poor person you cut down in an alley.”  
  
Gaichu gave her a brief laugh. “You have seen to have grown accustomed to it, however. Which reminds me - I won’t be teaching you anymore from here on. What you do is up to yourself from now on.”  
  
Ku Feng blinked as she stumbled towards Gaichu. “Wait, you can’t be serious! You’re really going to stop teaching me?!”  
  
“I believe I’ve taught you enough, Ku Feng.” He paused, before he turned to face her as blood dripped down from her lips. “It’s been… fun, I suppose, to be your teacher while it lasted. Unfortunately, it seems that things are going to be difficult for us now.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
Gaichu hummed thoughtfully as he looked away. “Simply put, nothing is as it seems to be, and both Capricious and Duncan are shaken up by an unexpected truth. So, I need to be by their side for when the time comes for them to act.”  
  
Ku Feng glared at Gaichu with a frown. “That’s vague… Why can’t you tell me me the truth?”  
  
“You shouldn’t worry about us, Ku Feng. Instead, focus on yourself, until you feel ready to help us. I believe you can.”  
  
Ku Feng growled. “That’s unfair… but fine.” She bowed to the ghoul in respect. “I hope to see you again, Gaichu.”  
  
“Stay safe, Ku Feng.”  
  
Ku Feng watched him walk away without another word. She held her hands together, thinking about what she wanted to say, but, such feelings were embarrassing to say out loud. Instead, she simply smiled before disappearing into the shadows.  
  
—  
  
After another delicious meal with Gobbet and Isobel, Capricious walked with them as they head back to the Dowager Empress.  
  
She came to a stop at one point, when she saw a tall slender man with emerald eyes pass by them.  
  
Capricious watched him carry on, but for just a brief moment, she thought he was Jason. But, that couldn’t be him for many reasons. It’s just her head playing tricks on her, she believed.  
  
“Seattle?” Gobbet spoke up, taking her attention away from the man.  
  
Capricious forced out a chuckle as she took the lead. “Sorry, I guess I can’t resist staring at good looking men…” she lied. “Let’s go home!”  
  
Isobel raised a brow, but did not question Capricious.  
  
Gobbet found it amusing however, and clapped her hand on Capricious’ shoulder. “I thought you were into that Russian dude, Seattle.”  
  
Capricious giggled as she ran her hands over her blushing cheeks. “That’s still true,” she replied, which confirms the girls’ guesses. “But, can a girl just admire beautiful people in general?”


End file.
